Residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, now have a sigh of relief, as electricity returned to the town two months after Boko Haram destroyed the transmission lines, plunging the entire state into darkness.
Confirming the restoration of electricity in the city, the Corporate Communication Manager of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC, in charge of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba States, Mr Kingsley Nkemneme, said since the incident on January 29, all stakeholders had been working to resolve the problem.
It would be recalled that when the state government attempted to restore power in the state two weeks after the destruction, the terrorists again planted IEDs along the path, killing some staff of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, who were working to restore electricity and injuring others, including some soldiers.
The two-month blackout was caused by the destruction of part of the towers supplying electricity to the city from the national grid by the insurgents along the Maiduguri-Damaturu road.
Commending the effort of the TCN, the military and the state government in restoring electricity, residents said it would not have been possible without the drive from the men who put their lives on the line to ensure electricity is back in the city.
“All the electricity staff who worked on the line both living and dead deserve commendation, alongside the soldiers providing them security during the work. They even encountered a bomb attack while working to restore the light.
“Our Governor, Babagana Zulum, also deserve special commendation for his contribution to ensure that we get light,” Ibrahim Abubakar told newsmen in Maiduguri.
“We really suffered without light in view of the hot weather. We were worried even as the rainy season is setting in. The heat in the night, mosquitos and the high cost of fuel to power our small generators is telling on many families and the Ramadan fasting is also coming,” another resident, Sadisu Mohammed said.
