By Sani Adamu Musa
Around the Fa’an Alkali neighbourhood in the centre of Bauchi metropolis, residents are growing frustrated following a three-month blackout due to an underperforming electricity transformer. Appeals for a new one with higher capacity are falling on deaf ears.
What started in June as a series of technical faults escalated into a protracted period of darkness that has disrupted daily routines, put businesses under strain, and burdened families.
A resident, Daniel Alkali, painted a very gloomy picture of the situation in Fa’an Alkali. “We have been thrown into complete darkness for close to three months now,” he said. “The transformer in our area initially failed three times and after attempts to repair it, the authorities declared it condemned beyond repair. A new one was provided, but in less than two months, it too malfunctioned and was taken to Jos where we were told it could not be salvaged either.”
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Alkali said the residents had been writing to relevant parties and even submitted a formal request at Bauchi Government House, where approval was issued for a replacement. “This is the third month we have been following up on this, yet nothing has been done,” he added, frustration almost literally dripping from his tone. The apparent foot-dragging has made residents feel abandoned, with most wondering aloud whether local leaders were serious about addressing their pain.
The blackout has affected more than household convenience. Hassana Umar, a housewife and a mother of three, complained that lack of electricity complicates simple tasks every day, either needing refrigeration or electrical appliances. “I have to buy small amounts of food daily since I cannot keep anything fresh. This is a huge inconvenience and has doubled my household expenses,” she explained, portraying the monetary stress the blackout has had on families with limited incomes.
For Yusuf Muhammad, a welder in Fa’an Alkali, the blackout has spelled disaster for his means of livelihood. “My welding business depends wholly on electricity. Since the commencement of the blackout, I have hardly worked. The cost of fuel to run a generator is rather expensive, and too many of my clients have stopped coming,” he lamented. Muhammad is afraid that, if the blackout continues, he will be forced to close his business, joining the list of entrepreneurs in the locality who can no longer bear the protracted interruption.
What happens to Fa’an Alkali, while awaiting a solution cannot be defined as less crucial: “if not cured, the blackout is likely to worsen the living conditions and economic situation of this community in a very short time. It reminds one that the community cries for a lasting solution to the critical role infrastructure plays in everyday life, in addition to pressing needs for government intervention addressing not only immediate repairs but also the long-term reliability of power supply in Bauchi’s neighbourhoods.
