Prolonged Blackout Cripples Businesses in Katsina’s Malumfashi Community

Residents and business owners in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State are reeling from the devastating impact of a prolonged power outage, which has brought economic activities in the community to a standstill. The blackout, reportedly lasting for 14 days, has led to deep frustration and significant financial losses for local enterprises.

The complaint was formally lodged in a letter addressed to the Regional Manager of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Katsina South Region, by the Malumfashi Foundation, a civil society group. The letter, signed by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Yakubu Jibrin, decried the severe disruption to socio-economic activities in Malumfashi town. Copies of the complaint were also sent to key local government and traditional leaders.

According to the Malumfashi Foundation, the extended outage was triggered by the collapse of electric poles along the Funtua–Malumfashi line. While acknowledging that the incident might have been beyond KEDCO’s immediate control, the Foundation heavily criticized the company for its significant delay in addressing the problem and its complete lack of communication with affected residents.

“This prolonged outage has severely affected businesses, hospitals, and everyday life in Malumfashi. It reflects poorly on the commitment of KEDCO to serve the public efficiently and responsibly,” the letter stated.

The Foundation has issued several demands to KEDCO, including the immediate repair and full restoration of power supply to Malumfashi within three days. They also requested a formal apology for the hardship caused and an exemption of the blackout period from all electricity bills for affected customers. Furthermore, the group demanded the deployment of security guards to protect transformers during ongoing repairs and insisted that KEDCO assume full financial responsibility for all repair works, with no community contribution or billing of customers.

Businesses that rely heavily on electricity, such as welders, barbers, cold drink vendors, and owners of frozen food stores, have been particularly hard hit. Many have been forced to shut down operations or incur unsustainable costs from running generators, leading to significant losses and unemployment.

Efforts to get a response from KEDCO’s Head of Corporate Communications Unit were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages went unanswered. The situation in Malumfashi reflects broader challenges with power supply in parts of Northern Nigeria, where similar complaints of persistent outages, grid collapses, and infrastructure vandalism have frequently impacted livelihoods.