Strike: Kaduna residents lament hardship over power outage

Residents of Kaduna State are facing severe hardship following a three-day strike by staff of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) over mass layoffs. The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) declared a three-day strike against the sacking of its members by the electricity distribution company. The union claimed that 900 staff members were disengaged […]

Residents of Kaduna State are facing severe hardship following a three-day strike by staff of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) over mass layoffs.

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) declared a three-day strike against the sacking of its members by the electricity distribution company.

The union claimed that 900 staff members were disengaged and insisted that the company’s management must withdraw the termination letters.

However, KEDCO’s management confirmed the dismissal of 450 staff across four states in their franchise region made up of Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto.

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The strike, which began on Monday, was also in protest of other grievances, including non-payment of outstanding pensions to retirees, inadequate provision of necessary work tools, lack of promotions and non-implementation of the 2024 national minimum wage.

A union official, who spoke to the Daily Trust correspondent on condition of anonymity, said they were not opposed to the layoffs but demanded that workers’ entitlements be fully paid.

Daily Trust observed that the strike has severely affected innocent customers, particularly artisans, traders, phone-charging vendors and housewives.

The blackout also led to a water shortage in parts of Kaduna metropolis and surrounding areas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Women, children and other residents struggled to fetch water from the few boreholes powered by generators or solar energy in neighbourhoods. The cost of water sold by vendors skyrocketed from N100 per 25-litre jerry can to N300.

A housewife, Aminatu Sani, a resident of Unguwar Rimi, said a cart of water now costs N2,000, twice the previous price.

“I was devastated by this light issue. I had to empty my freezer to prevent my fruits and other vegetables from rotting away,” she lamented.

“Getting water is now a big problem because without electricity, we can’t power our borehole. Things are not easy, truly,” she added.

Malam Aliyu Suleiman from Zaria described how life has become difficult due to the power shortage.

“Imagine a 25-litre jerry can of water now sells for ₦300 instead of ₦100. It’s not fair, and the management of the electricity company needs to do the needful,” he said.

He further explained that his wife now finds it difficult to grind grains due to the power failure.

“Recently, we have been battling with the high cost of foodstuffs, and now the electricity failure has added to our difficulties. Our women find it hard to even grind grains to feed the children,” he said.

Similarly, Maimuna Sani corroborated Aliyu’s statement, saying most of the tomatoes and meat stored in her freezer were going bad due to the power outage.

“The power outage in these three days has really brought discomfort to our lives. Most of the items in the freezer are getting rotten, and if nothing is done fast, they may rot,” she said.

Maimuna added that communication has become a challenge as phone charging vendors are overwhelmed, and most phones are off due to the power failure.

Adamu Hassan, a local security guard, said charging phones is now a major challenge in Kaduna.

“Do you know that at most of the charging points I visited today (Wednesday) I was told there was no space because there were too many phones being charged?” he said.

Musa Sani, a solar panel dealer in Kaduna, said business is booming as people who can afford it are now demanding solar power solutions.

“We are experiencing high demand for solar panels within just two days. People who can afford it are making demands, so it’s brisk business for us,” he said.

A provisions seller along Charanchi Road in Tudun Wada, Kaduna, Maikaita Bello Dallaje, said they had to remove most of their soft drinks, including yogurt and frozen drinks, from the fridge.

Another resident of Millennium City Estate, who simply identified himself as Mustapha, said he now relies on his generator to pump water from his borehole, which has been challenging.

“Residents are moving from house to house in search of water because the water board isn’t supplying us, and boreholes remain the only alternative,” he said.

Nura Garba a phone charge vendor said they are experiencing a brisk business as customers kept bringing their phones to charge.

“It’s not easy to  get a space to charge your phone because of the number of people coming to charge their phones due to power failure. So it’s a brisk business for us,” he said

Also another resident  Abubakar Muhammadu Garbu also said his phone had ran out of power and it has affected his business since the beginning of the strike.

“I’m facing challenges communicating with my customers within this days because the battery of my phone has ran out and the commercial charging points are crowded with people wanting to charge their phones,” he said.

He said it was wrong for the union to go on strike without giving adequate notification to the public.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Management of Kaduna Electric said the company acknowledged public concerns.

“Kaduna Electric’s management has initiated a comprehensive transformation exercise to ensure the company’s long-term sustainability. Contrary to claims by labour unions that 900 staff members were affected, the company confirms that “services no longer required” letters were issued to 450 employees.

“This decision was made in response to significant operational and

financial challenges that have hindered the company’s ability to meet its market and operational obligations.

“The restructuring, though difficult, is a necessary step to align the company with current market realities and create a more efficient workforce.

“The Management emphasized that this right-sizing initiative alongside capital investment are crucial for implementing impactful measures to improve. Kaduna Electric expressed regret over the prolonged power outage caused by the industrial action, which lasted over 24 hours to some of our customers across our franchise.

“The company remains committed to resolving labour disputes amicably and restoring normal operations as quickly as possible.

“The Kaduna Electric reassured its customers of its dedication to providing reliable power supply and apologized for the inconvenience caused by the outage.’’