By Excellence Oseose
Residents and businesses in Abuja’s Jahi and Gwarimpa districts have continued to experience prolonged power outages despite being classified as Band A electricity consumers and paying premium tariffs for electricity supply.
The affected customers, served through the Gwarinpa AT2 Feeder under the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), have reportedly endured several days without power, raising concerns over service delivery to consumers expected to receive a minimum number of supply hours daily.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, AEDC attributed the disruption to the failure of critical equipment within the transmission infrastructure managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The electricity distribution company expressed regret over the situation and acknowledged the hardship caused by the extended outage.
“We sincerely apologize for the prolonged power outage experienced by customers served by the Gwarinpa AT2 Feeder. We understand the inconvenience, disruption, and frustration this extended outage has caused to homes, businesses, and daily activities,” the company stated.
AEDC assured affected customers that efforts were ongoing to address the technical challenge and restore electricity supply as quickly as possible.
The latest outage has renewed concerns about the reliability of electricity supply across the country, particularly for Band A customers who pay higher tariffs in exchange for improved service.
Nigeria’s power sector has continued to face persistent challenges years after its privatization, with consumers frequently complaining about inadequate supply, infrastructure failures, and service disruptions.
The concerns intensified following the Federal Government’s approval of a tariff adjustment in April 2024, which saw electricity rates for Band A customers increase by about 300 percent. Since then, consumers have continued to demand better service delivery to match the higher costs of electricity.