Northern blackout compounded by high cost of petrol and diesel in Nigeria – Kwankwaso
The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed deep concern over the massive and persistent blackout in the states of the Northern region of Nigeria.
In a tweet on his X.com handle on Monday, Kwankwaso attributed the massive blackout to the soaring cost of petrol and diesel in the country.
He urged the governors to consider prioritizing alternative power sources to address dire energy needs.
He wrote; “It is very disheartening that many parts of Northern Nigeria are in total darkness today due to vandalism on the important 330kV Shiroro-Kaduna power line that supplies the states of Kano and Kaduna and another line that supplies Bauchi, Gombe and other parts of the northeast.
“This situation has been further compounded by the high cost of petrol and diesel in Nigeria, which has further plunged homes into darkness and forced factories to close down.
“The time this crisis has taken to be addressed underscores the huge deficit of capacity our power sector has in order to address large scale problems. This must be addressed to avoid any future disruption,” Kwankwaso added.
“It is about time that we look into alternative power sources to address our energy needs and we need to exploit the abundant resources available to this country.
“I wish to encourage all state governments and private investors to invest in alternative electricity sources, just like we did in Kano by installing two turbines in the Challawa Gorge and Tiga Dams in order to reduce the reliance on our inadequate and aged energy sources.”
