By Ishaya Ibrahim
Angry reactions have continued to trail the lingering electricity blackout that has lingered over a week in some parts of the North, with northern activists claiming it was a deliberate plot to keep them in darkness.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria had said the ongoing blackout stemmed from vandalism of the Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which provided bulk electricity to the northern states.
The TCN also claimed repair works were slow to the affected grid lines due to security advice from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) indicating that the area was a security red zone.
As the electricity blackout lingers, Northerners have continued to express frustration and even alleging foul play over the lingering blackout on social media platform, X.
@AyshaHamman said: “Northern Nigeria has faced almost a week without electricity, and lives are at stake. Patients needing oxygen, and newborns relying on incubators, are losing their lives. This is beyond a power failure—it’s a grave neglect of duty. @TCN_NIGERIA, northern DisCos, and the @MinistryofPower @BayoAdelabu must act now. #RestorePowerNow.”
@jrnaib2 said: “We’re experiencing a blackout in the north and Bola Tinubu’s supporters are telling us that our governors are the ones responsible to fix it. Okay!”
@Waspapping_ said: “Blaming this blackout in the North on insecurity, while loudly claiming you’re winning the war on insecurity, is embarrassing. If you’re truly winning, why are bandits vandalizing our electricity? They talk as if it’s the people’s responsibility to stop these bandits.”
In another reaction to a bill for the expansion of Sharia Law in the 1999 Constitution, he added: “Unbelievable. It’s been a full week without electricity in the North, yet this is what our lawmakers are focused on. Who needs Sharia law in a secular country like Nigeria?”
@al_aminumaitama said: “There’s no any excuse the government can bring to justify this black out in the North, forget insecurity if it’s war happening there’s no way the Southern part of this country will go an entire week without light.”
@SmarttAbdul said: “Insecurity that lasted for years have never tempered with our electricity until now that Tinubu is in charge.”
@ikhassan5 said: “They just want to finish off the struggling small businesses in the north.”
