Kebbi Residents and Businesses Count Heavy Losses as Prolonged Blackout Enters Second Week

Residents and business owners in Birnin Kebbi and other parts of Kebbi State are counting heavy financial and personal losses as a prolonged power outage from the national grid enters its second week. The blackout began after the collapse of Tower T367 on the 330 kilovolt Kainji to Birnin Kebbi transmission line operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria. The tower fell at approximately 10:44 p.m. on Monday, 7 September 2026 following a trip on the line. A trial reclosure attempted shortly afterwards failed, and patrol teams later confirmed the structural failure. Preliminary findings pointed to heavy winds and rainstorms as the likely cause.

Since then, large parts of the state have remained without grid electricity. Households, hospitals, schools, markets and small enterprises that depend on the national supply have been forced to rely on generators, solar systems or simply do without power for long periods. The cost of diesel and petrol for generators has risen sharply, eating into already thin margins for many traders and artisans. Cold stores, pharmacies, welding workshops, corn mills, bread bakeries and phone charging points have been among the hardest hit.

Two corn and bread millers in Birnin Kebbi, Malam Shehu Yusuf and Aliyu Muhammad, reported combined losses exceeding five hundred thousand naira within the first week of the outage. A cold water seller in the Bayan Kara area, Ummu Abubakar, said she was losing about ten thousand naira every day because she could no longer keep her products chilled or attract customers. She described the situation as so severe that she could no longer afford three meals a day. Similar stories are repeated across the metropolis and in neighbouring towns that depend on the same transmission corridor.

Welding shops that once operated late into the evening have reduced hours or closed temporarily. Bread producers and fryers who rely on electric ovens and mixers have scaled back production or switched to more expensive fuel alternatives. Phone charging businesses that thrived on steady power have seen their income collapse. Markets that depended on refrigeration for meat, fish and dairy products are facing spoilage and reduced trade. The cumulative effect is a visible slowdown in commercial activity and rising frustration among residents who had hoped for a quicker resolution.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria declared force majeure on the affected line and deployed teams to locate and assess the damage. Linesmen from the Birnin Kebbi Sub Region conducted fault finding patrols along the corridor. Repair work is underway, but the scale of the structural damage and the need for specialised equipment and materials mean that restoration is taking longer than many residents expected. Earlier statements from distribution company officials had raised hopes of a weekend return of supply, yet as of mid September the lights remain off for most customers connected to the grid in the affected areas.

Hospitals and primary health centres have been forced to run generators for critical equipment, lighting and cold chain storage of vaccines and medicines. The extra fuel cost adds pressure to already limited budgets. Schools that use electric lighting for evening lessons or computer laboratories have adjusted schedules or suspended certain activities. Water pumping stations that rely on electricity have reduced output, affecting households that depend on public supply.

Community members have improvised in various ways. Some neighbourhoods organise shared generator use to reduce individual costs. Others have turned more heavily to solar panels and batteries where they can afford them. Informal networks of support have emerged, with neighbours helping one another keep essential services running. These arrangements ease the immediate hardship but cannot replace the reliability and lower cost of grid power for most families and small businesses.

Business associations and local leaders have called for faster action and clearer communication on the timeline for repairs. They note that prolonged outages of this nature discourage investment and undermine confidence in the power sector. The incident has also renewed discussion about the resilience of transmission infrastructure in the northwest. Ageing towers, exposure to extreme weather and the long distances between generation and load centres leave the system vulnerable to single points of failure.

Officials from the transmission and distribution companies have stressed that safety protocols require thorough testing before the line can be re energised. They have asked residents to remain patient and to report any residual problems once supply begins to return. Community leaders have been urged to help share accurate information and discourage unverified claims that can create false expectations or unnecessary tension.

The economic impact extends beyond the immediate losses reported by traders. Reduced production at mills and workshops affects suppliers of raw materials and transporters who move finished goods. Cold chain failures increase food waste and raise prices for remaining stocks. Phone charging and small service businesses that form the backbone of informal employment in many neighbourhoods have seen their daily earnings disappear. For households living close to the margin, the combination of lost income and higher fuel costs creates genuine hardship.

As the second week of the blackout continues, attention remains fixed on the progress of repairs at the collapsed tower site. Engineers and linesmen are working to replace the damaged structure, restring conductors and restore the integrity of the line. Once mechanical work is complete, electrical testing and gradual reloading of the circuit will follow. Only then can customers expect a return to more stable supply.

In the meantime, residents continue to adapt. Some have rearranged work schedules around limited generator hours. Others have reduced consumption of electricity intensive goods and services. Local government and state officials have been monitoring the situation and coordinating with the transmission company on the restoration effort. The successful return of power will bring immediate relief to thousands of households and businesses that have endured more than a week of darkness and elevated costs.

The episode serves as a reminder of the critical importance of reliable electricity for everyday life and economic activity in Kebbi State. When a single tower fails, the consequences ripple through markets, homes, health facilities and schools. Strengthening the transmission network against weather related damage and improving response times for major faults remain essential if similar disruptions are to be minimised in the future.

Until the line is restored, the people of Birnin Kebbi and the surrounding communities will continue to manage as best they can, counting the days and the losses while waiting for the lights to come back on. The coming days will show whether the repair teams can complete their work and return the state to the national grid, ending a difficult period that has tested the resilience of residents and the capacity of the power sector to respond to major infrastructure failures.