Some residents of Gombe State have lamented irregular power supply amid biting fuel scarcity.
Our correspondent gathered that Bomala community in the Akko Local Government Area has been without power since Monday, and many relied on fuel to generate electricity.
However, the queues in some petrol stations have increased, as marketers sell for varying prices, as black market operators make brisk business with some selling at N400 per litre.
According to a resident, Rabilu Abubakar, Bomala vicinity has been thrown into darkness, following power supply since Monday.
Abubakar explained that those with power generating sets now relied on sourcing for fuel, adding that it has been difficult to sustain the set due to scarcity of fuel in the metropolis.
He said, “This is happening at a time when we buy black market at ridiculous prices. If you don’t, you will have to queue for the whole day or you will be left with the option of remaining in the dark. For those without generators, they have no option but to endure till they visit places with power.”
However, some parts of Yalenguruza last had power on Tuesday, while parts of Tumfure have had skeletal supply since Sunday.
A business owner at the State police Command, Jamiu Adams, noted with sadness how the poor supply had affected his business.
Adams said, “For the first time since I started doing business in the command, the power was not restored from 5pm on Tuesday till Wednesday early morning. It has affected the quality of what I preserved.”
When contacted, the Head of Communications Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Elijah Adakole, described the challenge as system failure, adding that it has been resolved within the company’s franchise states including Gombe.
Adakole said, “What happened yesterday (Tuesday) was a system failure from the national grid and it affected all our franchise states nationwide. I think in the night, as soon as the system became normalised, they restored power in virtually all our franchise states.”
Commenting on load-shedding where some parts had irregular supply, he blamed that on the nature of the band in existence within the area.
“Regularity of power is dependent on their band, the band system that Discos are operating in a particular location you may get between 20-24 hours for band A, 16-20 hours for band B, and band C is between 12-16 hours. Others get between 4 -8 hours. So, that there is no light in some places could be due to the band they are in,” Adakole added.
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