Residents of Pipeline area in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, have decried the blackout in their community caused by a rainstorm, which occurred on April 8.
Some of the residents and traders in the area who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin, on Friday, said that the outage had affected their means of livelihood.
They said that it had increased the cost of living within the past weeks and appealed to the state government to come to their rescue and ensure electricity was restored to their community.
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Mr Olusegun Adebayo, a resident, lamented the high cost of fueling his generator for the past month.
“Every day, I have to buy fuel worth N1,000 to ensure that my phone is charged, complete my assignments from work, ensure my children do their homework, and prepare for school the next day.
“The rainstorm destroyed a lot of things, but it is long enough for the electricity company to rectify the issue.
“We are not finding it funny anymore. We have been asked to contribute a total sum of N600,000 to repair the damage, but how do we raise such a huge amount.
“Social responsibilities like this lay in the hand of government and IBEDC.
“We have suffered darkness enough, we appeal to the governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to please come to our aid,’’ he said.
Another resident, Mrs Aduragbemi Owolabi said: “it is quite unfortunate that we pay exorbitant electricity bills, yet when there is a fault we are made to pay for repairs again.
“We have levied ourselves in the community to raise money after we got tired of waiting, but the amount being requested is too much. I don’t think we can meet up.
“We have been in darkness for over a month now, those that are privileged are the ones using generators, but some of us depend on the electricity by IBEDC.
“We need help, something should be done quickly, we are tired,’’ she said.
A trader who pleaded anonymity said: “I sell frozen food and for the past one month I have been using generator to power my freezers.
“The cost of running the business is now very unbearable, I don’t make many sales anymore, because I have to buy the little I can sell at once.
“This is my only source of livelihood; I beg that the government will do something fast. We have never experienced a blackout for this long,’’ she said.
A hairdresser, Mrs Rukayat Abdulsalam, said that hair work has been reduced to only weaving and braiding since the power outage.
“I can no longer wash my customers’ hair because I don’t have a generator and there is no light.
“The only thing I do now is `weaves and braids’ which is not constant except when schools resume and I make children’s hair during weekends.
“It is really frustrating, we feel neglected, and it is not good, “she said.
Mr Ayowale Adeloye, a shoemaker said: “there is a level you get to when making a shoe, you need light because you have to file them into shape.
“Lack of electricity for the past month has really affected my production; some of my customers are feeling disappointed in me.
“It is not my fault, we need help urgently, it is becoming unbearable, and we want the government to look into our plight,” Adeloye said. (NAN)
