• Death toll rises as Masaka residents relocate
From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Masaka, a town in the franchise area of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), has been in without power for over three months to the extent that businesses are counting losses and death rate has increased. This is because hospitals are rejecting serious cases involving power supply such as operations and childbirths.
The highbrow town in Nasarawa State has been in a blackout since April 2025 and the situation has remained unattended to till date. AEDC source said the early rains in April pulled down over 100 poles and the company lacked the capacity to fix the poles.
A resident, laboratory operator, Mr. Simon Alome, said the poles fell between Gora Town and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp near Keffi: “Unfortunately, the area is non-residential. So, nobody takes responsibility to fix the poles. The fixing of the poles is not a direct responsibility of the residents. Otherwise, they would have contributed money, as usual, to fix them.
“When the storm felled the poles, AEDC quickly detached their cables from the poles. An indication that the situation would remain for a long time.
“I am using generator for all operations and the extra cost is passed on to the patients. Ordinarily, a Widal test would cost N3,500, but because of the cost of fuel we are now charging our patients N5,000. The same goes to other tests.”
Madam Patience Nana, a cold room owner, said: “I have not operated the cold room for months now because of total blackout orchestrated by AEDC.
“The last business I did was a complete loss because people’s goods went bad. I cannot continue to preserve my goods with generators because of the cost of fuel. My customers complain when I pass on the cost to them.
“They complain that my business is costly and they can no longer patronise me. I also live in Masaka, the situation has been hellish. Ironically, the last bill they brought to us for May was N19,000 for each house on estimated billing system.
“When we complained they told us that it was a technical glitch, which would be corrected in the subsequent bills. That was before the total blackout in April.”
National president, Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA) and executive director, Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre, Chief Princewill Okorie, said: “We have been calling for the removal of the Minister of Power and the government looks away.
“The government that believes in extorting the citizens they should protect. It’s worrisome. This is not only extortion, it’s killing the economy of the country. Most people cannot work anymore. They increased the prices of fuel, diesel, gas and electricity.
“How can these people survive? At the same time, you are complaining of insecurity. How can people survive? Is it not fraudulent? And they are looking for criminals elsewhere.”
Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adekola Adelabu, celebrating two years in office, said the nation has attained 6,000 megawatts of electricity in 40 years, but lamented that the weakest link in the chain were the distribution companies (DisCos): “This is because they have refused to invest in the industry.
“Despite tariff adjustments that boosted market liquidity by 70 per cent, raising sector revenue from ₦1 trillion in 2023 to ₦1.7 trillion in 2024, the distribution segment remains the weakest link.
“In the fourth quarter of 2024, DisCos in the North remitted just ₦124.4 billion (30 per cent) of their ₦408.86 billion invoice, with Abuja DisCo accounting for 85 per cent of northern payments. Southern DisCos fared slightly better, remitting ₦254.6 billion (67 per cent), though 70 per cent of this came from Lagos DisCos alone. These discrepancies are due largely to crumbling infrastructure outside economic hubs, where underinvestment has left networks dilapidated.
“The metering gap, a key driver of revenue loss and consumer distrust, underscores systemic neglect. Government has launched a ₦700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative and a World Bank-backed programme targeting 4.3 million meters by 2025. Seventy-five thousand (75,000) units were deployed in April 2024 while additional 200,000 is expected in May.”
When Daily Sun spoke with AEDC’S spokesperson, Mrs. Adefisanyo Akinsanya, she feigned ignorance of the incident. She said she should be given some time to make inquiries and get back. She never did, as at press time.