Power Crisis Deepens: Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara in Darkness as KAEDCO Workers Reject Governor’s Appeal, Continue Strike

Millions of residents in Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara remain in darkness as striking workers of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) refuse to restore power, despite the intervention of Governor Uba Sani.

The blackout, which began on Monday, stems from an ongoing protest by the state council of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) over KAEDCO’s decision to sack hundreds of workers. Efforts to resolve the dispute, including negotiations involving government officials and security agencies, have so far failed to yield results.

KAEDCO spokesperson Abdulazeez Abdullahi, in a statement, expressed frustration over the impasse, revealing that multiple meetings had taken place, culminating in a high-level discussion chaired by Kaduna State Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe on behalf of Governor Sani. During the meeting, Dr. Balarabe highlighted the critical impact of the outage on healthcare, businesses, and essential services, urging the union to restore power while negotiations continued.

Despite these appeals, KAEDCO stated that the striking workers introduced additional demands deemed “unreasonable,” leading to a deadlock. As the dispute drags on, residents and businesses across the affected states continue to suffer from the prolonged power outage.