Nigeria: Abuja Residents, Business Owners Count Losses Over Power Outage

What the report says

Residents and business owners in several parts of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, including Kubwa, Dutse, Gwarinpa, Jahi, Dawaki, Dei-Dei, Nyanya and Wuse areas, say a prolonged blackout has lasted for more than a week and is disrupting daily life and commerce. The report, published by Daily Trust and distributed by AllAfrica, describes widespread complaints about spoiled food, higher operating costs and reduced earnings among small traders who depend on electricity for refrigeration, equipment and customer service.

People interviewed in Abuja said they have been forced to rely on generators and inverters, even as fuel prices make backup power increasingly expensive. Some business owners said they could not raise prices without risking customers, while others reported losses from perishable stock and difficulty meeting loan repayments. The article also says the outage has affected household routines, including access to water and children’s ability to study at night.

Daily Trust reported that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company linked the disruption to a technical fault on the 330kV Shiroro-Katampe transmission line belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria. The utility said technical teams were working to restore grid stability. The company also said a storm on October 7 caused three transmission towers to collapse on another line affecting the Masaka and Keffi axis. The episode underscores the broader strain Nigeria’s power sector continues to place on homes and small businesses.