Several communities in Niger State have been thrown into darkness with no specific date for restoration of power.
This development was confirmed in a statement on Wednesday by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
The distribution company explained that the blackout is a result of the ongoing road construction in their areas, specifically, the construction along the Kpakungu roundabout in Minna.
Naija News understands affected areas include communities around the Minna Sharia Court, Police Secondary School, Bosso Low-Cost, Bosso Estate, Tudun Fulani, Rafin Yashi, Minna Airport, Airforce Base, Maikunkele, River Basin, Soje, Kpakungu, and part of the Minna-Bida Road.
Other affected areas include Limawa, Darulsalam, Barikin Sale, JFLA, CAILS, Beji and all its environs.
While the AEDC apologized for the inconvenience, it didn’t specify any time frame for the restoration of public power supply to affected areas.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has warned that Nigeria’s economy can no longer sustain electricity subsidies, urging Nigerians to brace for cost-reflective tariffs across the board.
Adelabu spoke during a meeting with the Chairmen of Power Generating Companies (GenCos) in Abuja, where he also disclosed plans to settle part of the ₦4 trillion debt owed to the GenCos.
“We have to understand that our economy cannot sustain subsidies indefinitely,” he said, adding that “citizens must pay the appropriate price for the energy consumed,” the Minister said.
He, however, noted that the Federal Government remains committed to providing targeted subsidies for “economically disadvantaged Nigerians,” although he did not define what qualifies an individual for that category.