The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has accused the Federal Government of using the ongoing power outage in northern Nigeria as a means to undermine the region’s economy. This accusation comes in the wake of widespread electricity blackouts, which have persisted for over a week due to the vandalism of electricity transmission lines.
In a statement released by ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the group called on the government to declare a state of emergency over the prolonged power outage. The ACF emphasized that the blackout has brought economic and social activities in many northern states to a near standstill, causing immense frustration among residents.
“Over the past one week and still counting, most parts of the northern states of Nigeria have been battling with sustained electric power supply outage, leading to near total paralysis in economic and social activities, not to talk of growing generalised frustration of the populace,” the ACF stated.
The ACF’s concerns are further heightened by statements from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which suggest that the problem may continue indefinitely due to technical and security challenges. The forum questioned why the northern region, which generates a significant portion of Nigeria’s electricity, receives a disproportionately low supply.
“It just does not make any sense that Lagos alone has eight sub-stations while the whole of the northern states combined, harbouring more than half of Nigeria’s total population, has only three sub-stations at Jos, Kaduna, and Kano,” the statement read.
The ACF warned that the ongoing power crisis poses a serious threat to national security, criticizing the silence of public officials in the face of such challenges. “The situation at hand is a portent national security threat, against which the silence, especially, of public officials amounts to a phenomenal textbook illustration of the abdication of responsibility, as unacceptable as can be,” the group declared.
The forum dismissed explanations that the power outage is due to past failures or the presence of banditry along power supply lines, arguing that such reasons only make excuses for inaction. “To lamely offer unintelligent excuses… that the problem cannot be immediately addressed due to banditry along power supply lines is to totally surrender to the terroristic criminals,” the ACF stated.
They questioned why Nigeria’s security agencies, despite substantial budgetary allocations, have not been able to secure the affected areas. “It is inconceivable that Nigeria’s fairly vast array of security agencies, with their humongous budgetary allocations, cannot dislodge and subdue the rag-tag bandits, reclaim and dominate territory,” the group remarked.
The prolonged power outage has already taken a toll on businesses in the region, from small enterprises like barbing salons and food vendors to medium-scale industries such as rice mills and bakeries. Many businesses, unable to afford alternative power sources or the high cost of fuel, have had to shut down operations. This has further strained the livelihoods of those who depend on daily income.
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Residents have also been struggling with a lack of power for basic home needs, facing uncomfortable conditions in the heat of day and being thrown into darkness at night. “Home and office operate without cooling and heating and at night are literally thrown into the medieval dark ages of the primitive, pre-civilisation era,” the ACF lamented.
The ACF called on the Federal Government and other authorities to urgently address the issue before it escalates into a larger crisis. “This threat to national security should forthwith be treated with the seriousness it deserves. The problem should be addressed with the honest URGENCY it deserves,” the statement urged.
They also called for a review of the national power supply allocation, pointing out that all Nigerians pay for electricity and should have equal access to it. “It is unacceptable that while the North acts as a candle that supplies light, it is being melted down and plunged into darkness,” the ACF said, demanding immediate changes for the sake of “national stability, fairness, and equity.”
The ACF further encouraged elected officials from the northern states, including state governors and members of the National Assembly, to speak out more forcefully and demand action on the issue. “This ought to and must change with immediate effect in the interest of national stability, fairness, and equity,” the ACF concluded.
The prolonged blackout continues to disrupt life in northern Nigeria, and the ACF’s statements have added urgency to calls for a swift resolution. Residents and businesses hope for prompt intervention to restore power and bring relief to the affected communities.