Olusegun Ariyo
The Northern Senators Forum, a group of Senators from the 19 northern states has raised the alarm over total blackout in some northern states, particularly, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa.
In a statement by the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua issued in Katsina on Friday, he appealed to the Federal Government to quickly restore electricity as commercial activities are being grounded in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa.
He said the blackout was due to vandalism and national grid disturbances which has resulted in economic hardship, compromised healthcare services which have become very expensive for the commoners.
The forum urged the Federal Government to quickly repair and prioritize the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines to restore reliable power supply and beef up security to protect electricity infrastructure.
The statement read: “Enhance security and implement measures to prevent future vandalism and protect power infrastructure.
“Support Renewable Energy and back KEDCO’s initiatives for renewable energy and Mini Grid solutions to provide sustainable power options.
“The ongoing outages, resulting from vandalism and national grid disturbances, have brought economic hardship, compromised healthcare delivery, and imposed expensive fuel costs on citizens.
“Small businesses are struggling to operate, hospitals are facing increased running costs, and livelihoods are being severely impacted.
The forum acknowledges the progress made in power distribution under the current administration and appreciates efforts to improve the sector.
“However, the situation demands urgent attention to alleviate the suffering of constituents and revitalize economic activities.”
