Following two weeks of a complete darkness in Kaduna State, businesses in every industry have been grounded.

According to information obtained by DAILY PULSE, the blackout began a few days after the price of gas was raised to 1050 naira at the pump, which resulted in higher prices for commercial cars using public transit.

Since shop owners said they could not afford to purchase fuel at high costs, a number of companies were later grounded, including barbershops, hair salons, soft drink sellers, and others.

Jonah Adejor, a soft drink vendor in the centre of Kaduna, claimed that he lost business since many clients preferred to purchase water, cold drinks, and other beverages, but they have now vanished due to the complete darkness.

Travellers frequently purchase cold drinks, according to Muhammad Imran, a beverage vendor on the Kaduna-Abuja route. However, they have lost interest since there is no light to create ice water. Instead of selling 15,000 naira, I can now only sell around 3,000.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), surprisingly, has stated that the blackout that is impacting portions of Northern Nigeria would continue because security issues are impeding repairs on vital transmission lines. The TCN stated that the problem would not be entirely rectified anytime soon, despite efforts to restore energy through alternate methods.

According to DAILY PULSE, the Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which supplied bulk energy to the northern states, was vandalised at the beginning of the current blackout, which has continued for days.

The TCN used the Ugwuaji-Apir 330-kilovolt (kV) double-circuit transmission line to redirect energy in order to lessen the damage.

The power supply issue was made worse by a tripping incidence on this other connection, though.

At a public hearing held by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Engr. Nafisatu Asabe Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator at TCN, clarified that fixing the Ugwuaji-Apir line would only offer a partial solution.

Although the line could safely transport up to 750 megawatts (MW) of power, she pointed out that Kano’s voltage stability problems meant that only 350 MW could be sent to Kano, Kaduna, and portions of the Niger Republic.

“Because of the insecurity in the area where it was damaged, the larger Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which supplies more power, is still out of service,” she added.

The Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) provided the TCN with security advise, according to Engr. Nafisatu, stating that the location where three towers were demolished is presently inaccessible because of persistent security concerns.

She pointed out that even while TCN has the supplies required for repairs, it cannot go forward until the security situation improves.

She pointed out that even while TCN has the supplies required for repairs, it cannot go forward until the security situation improves.

When the Ugwuaji-Apir line is repaired, the maximum power transmission would only be 350 MW, she added, adding that the region now shares 250 MW of electricity with the Niger Republic.

But Garba Usman, the NERC Chairman, chastised the TCN for failing to come up with ways to stop equipment failures, especially transformer explosions, which have led to the frequent power outages.

In order to prevent transformer fires that may interrupt the entire system, he advocated for more robust preventative measures.