Former Minister of Defence and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has condemned the recent vandalism of the critical 330kV Shiroro-Kaduna power line, which supplies electricity to Kano, Kaduna, and parts of northern Nigeria.
He said another line servicing Bauchi, Gombe, and other northeastern regions has also been affected.
In a statement posted on his X page on Monday, Kwankwaso expressed deep concern over the widespread power outages caused by the sabotage, noting that many areas in Northern Nigeria are now in complete darkness.
The 68-year-old lamented that the already dire situation has been worsened by the skyrocketing costs of petrol and diesel in Nigeria, forcing households further into darkness and leading to the shutdown of factories across the region.
“This is a deeply troubling development; not only are people suffering from the lack of power, but the high fuel prices have made it almost impossible for many to generate alternative electricity.”
“The time this crisis has taken to be addressed underscores the huge deficit of capacity our power sector has to address large-scale problems and this must be addressed to avoid any future disruption.
“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”, he said.
The former governor of Kano State urged state governments and private investors to prioritize investments in alternative energy sources.
He highlighted Kano’s example, where two turbines were installed at the Challawa Gorge and Tiga Dams to reduce dependence on the nation’s inadequate and ageing energy infrastructure.
