By Hosea Parah, Abuja
The power outage affecting Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states has now reached its fifth day, with no end in sight. The blackout, which began on February 3, 2025, is a result of a strike by union members of Kaduna Electric, leaving millions without electricity. Despite ongoing negotiations involving the management of Kaduna Electric and various stakeholders, the unions have remained steadfast in their decision not to restore power.
In a bid to resolve the impasse, multiple high-level meetings have been convened. One such meeting, led by the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, was attended by Her Excellency, Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe. During this session, Dr. Balarabe highlighted the severe repercussions of the outage, stressing its negative impact on healthcare, businesses, and vital services in the affected regions. She called on the labor unions to consider restoring power while negotiations were ongoing.
To further address the crisis, a mediation session was organized, featuring Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Sani Katu and Kaduna State Attorney General Sule Shu’aibu SAN. However, union representatives introduced new demands that many viewed as unreasonable, undermining previous commitments they had made to the Kaduna State Government regarding the restoration of power during discussions.
In light of the ongoing situation, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, Head of Corporate Communications for Kaduna Electric, expressed gratitude for the involvement of government officials and various stakeholders. He reaffirmed the company’s dedication to resolving the issue through dialogue and emphasized its efforts to explore alternative solutions to ease the burden on affected customers while ensuring the long-term sustainability of operations.
As the situation develops, residents and businesses in the impacted states are calling on both the unions and the management of Kaduna Electric to work towards a mutually beneficial resolution to end the ongoing power crisis.