By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A widespread blackout has hit Kaduna State, affecting both civilian areas and military zones, following a major power outage that began in Jaji and later spread across the entire Kaduna metropolis.
Residents reported that the outage, which initially struck Jaji, NTA-Jaji, Igabi village, the Military Cantonment and surrounding areas, extended to the whole of Kaduna town on 18 September.
An earlier statement by the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (Kaduna Electric), signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, on 14 September, attributed the disruption to technical issues at the Jaji Injection Substation.
“We sincerely apologize to our esteemed customers in Jaji, NTA-Jaji, Igabi village, Military Cantonment and environs for the outage currently being experienced. Our technical team is already on site and working to restore supply as quickly as possible,” the statement read.
However, in a follow-up statement issued on 19 September, Kaduna Electric’s management said the wider blackout was caused by the collapse of a 132kV transmission tower, which disrupted supply to the Kaduna Town Transmission Station.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) team is already working assiduously with relevant stakeholders to ensure that normal supply is restored as soon as possible. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and understanding,” the statement added.
