Jigawa communities get power supply after 20-year blackout

Residents of 25 communities in the Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, beamed with excitement on Sunday as power supply was restored after 20 years of total darkness.

The residents took to the streets to celebrate the end to the blackout that had stifled their lives.

The PUNCH gathered that for 20 years, the livelihood and businesses of residents in places like Chuwasu, Zangon Maje, Maje, Kore and many other communities, mostly rural, had been crippled.

Findings by our correspondent revealed that the blackout was as a result of locals vandalising electric cables and transformers.

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Online on Monday, a bakery owner in Taura, Hussain Mai Burodi, lamented the negative impacts of the blackout on his business.

Burodi stated, “Twenty years without light killed my ovens; now, I’ll bake round the clock and hire more hands. This is our miracle.

“Bread makers couldn’t bake at ease, meat sellers lost stock to spoilage and shops sat idle without fridges or lights.”

Another resident, Idris Musa, a meat seller in Taura, said with the power restoration, his business has been restored and thriving.

Musa said, “Rotten meat means lost income daily. With power back, my freezer works and customers will flock. Business revival starts today.”

He also emphasised that “the blackout hit hard, grinding commercial life to a halt in Taura LGA’s bustling markets and homes.”

He also predicted a sales surge.

On his part, manager of a drink shop, Yusuf Garba noted that “daily chores turned nightmares – no fans in scorching weather, water pumps silent and businesses bleeding money.

Garba, said, “Having cold drinks was a dream but now, we’ll chill sodas and boost sales. The blackout buried us, but this restoration revives us all.”

Also, a food vendor, Laraba Isiyaku, lamented that the power outage took a toll on her business.

Laraba noted, “Cooking without power was hell; families suffered empty plates. Lights mean full pots and happy homes again. God bless the governor.”

She further hinted that “even simple joys like evening family time vanished, forcing kids to study by lantern and families to huddle in heat if you don’t have alternative means of getting electricity.”

On his part, Rabi’u Dantauri, a voluntary security personnel in Chuwasu community, stated, “Darkness bred crime; we patrolled endlessly. Now, with lights, our streets, nooks and crannies are safe, and folks can thrive without fear.”

Inaugurating the restored power during the 26th session of the Government and Citizens Engagement programme held on Sunday in Taura, LGA, the state governor, Umar Namadi, declared that the power restoration symbolised the end of suffering.

Namadi reassured the residents that their welfare was the government’s priority.

“This ends two decades of suffering.

“We’re lighting up Jigawa, one community at a time, so businesses flourish and lives improve.

“Your dreams are our priority, power brings progress, jobs and joy to every home in Taura and beyond,” he told the cheering crowd.

The Taura LGA Chairman, Hon. Shu’aibu Zarga, praised the government for ending years of darkness in the area.

“Residents’ patience paid off.

“Blackouts crushed our economy, but now, markets will buzz and families will prosper,” Zarga told the PUNCH.