Many small business owners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), say their businesses are folding up due to epileptic power supply.
The residents, especially business owners, spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
The electricity consumers, who reside in Kubwa and environs, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Aco Estate decried the poor state of power supply in their areas.
According to them, power supply has declined recently compared to how it has been in the past few months.
Mrs Amanda Okoye, a Fashion Designer in Kubwa said that the situation was so bad that for weeks she had not been able to meet up with her customers’ demands.
“We have not had electricity for close to three days now. I have to depend on generator and getting the fuel to power it is expensive because of the increase in the pump price of the product.
“It has been so bad that I have decided to close the business for now till power supply improves in the area.
“The situation we face here is close to darkness and this has not been easy with me at all as my customers are complaining seriously and this is not good for my business.
“I am appealing to the government and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to do something about the power situation as a matter of urgency ’’ she said.
Mr Collins Osahon a Barber residing at Kubwa said that the situation was getting worse as they do not have power for more than two hours a day.
Osahon said that he had to rely on generator to do his business, adding that because of the high cost of fuel, he had increased the cost of barbering a customer’s hair.
According to him, sometimes they switch on the light in the night when everyone is asleep and this has reduced patronage which can lead to business folding up.
Also speaking, Mr Amos Okoduwa, a Welder residing at Kuje said that electricity was not too regular in his area as it was before.
He said; ’’we only have light for four to five hours a day and sometimes they don’t get it for a whole day.
“I am appealing to the government to improve power supply to the area to enable me run my business effectively so that I can feed my family,’’ he said.
Mrs Comfort Maduka, who operates a cold room in Kuje, FCT also said that electricity was not constant in her area.
Maduka said that the government and AEDC should do their best to improve power supply, especially as consumers were paying for the services
She said that she had to lock up the cold room because her goods were perishing as she could not afford the high cost of diesel to power her generator
‘I am appealing to government to improve power supply so that I can come back to business.” she said.
Mr Okon Etim, who runs a laundry service in ACO Estate on Airport Road, said that the light situation in the area wa terrible compared to before.
Okon said that the area does not have power supply for more than five to six hours in a day, adding that the light goes off every 20 minutes.
”I don’t know what to do so I have to close down my business until I am able to buy a big generator that I can use for the business, he said.
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu said that the ministry of power remains steadfast in addressing the challenges within Nigeria’s energy sector.
“We acknowledge the economic hardships faced by many Nigerians and reaffirm our commitment to stabilising the grid, expanding access, and fostering investor confidence.
“Recent reforms, such as the ongoing upgrade of transmission infrastructure and partnerships with renewable energy developers are pivotal to achieving sustainable solutions,” he said.
The minister urged Nigerians to continue to support government policies and initiatives.
He also called on Nigerians to report illegal activities such as energy theft and tampering with power infrastructure.
“Let us also embrace energy-efficient practices to reduce strain on the grid.
“As emphasized by President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda”, collective resilience and patriotism are vital to overcoming national challenges.” he said.
