After eight-year outage, Jigawa community celebrates power restoration

It was a day full of joy and rejoicing for the Jahun community in Jigawa State with the restoration of the power supply, which had been cut off for eight years due to the handiwork of vandalism.

Some of the residents interviewed by the Guardian on a visit to the ancient council informed our reporter that the community’s children, aged seven and below, had never experienced electricity in their area.

Mr Muhammed Abdullahi, a civil servant, expressed gratitude to the new chairman and his team for restoring power within a month of assuming office

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“We were surprised by the quick restoration, and we appreciate the chairman’s foresight, as the power outage had driven many businesses away,” Abdullahi said.

Business owner, Mr Umar Baballe, who operates a large grinding machine, was forced to abandon his business due to the power outage.

Baballe said he initially used diesel to power the machine but was running at a loss. He said that with the restored power, he was satisfied that even the water supply had improved in the community.

In response, the chairman of the local government, Jamilu Danmallam, explained that upon assuming office, he invited experts to investigate the power outage.

He said that they discovered that vandalism and lack of security were the primary causes.

Danmallam said he, therefore, collaborated with the police and self-help groups to address the issue, resulting in the restoration of power and improved security in the community.

The chairman also said he initiated efforts to restore vandalised mechanised solar boreholes in the area, with some already rehabilitated.

He appealed to residents to assist in maintaining infrastructure and avoiding vandalism, stressing that any development in the community should be respected and upheld for the benefit of all.

Danmallam commended Gov. Umar Namadi for being a good mentor.