Residents of Taura Local Government Area erupted in jubilation last Sunday as they awoke to electricity in their homes and communities after over 16 years in darkness.
The restoration of power has rekindled hope in the area, where people had lost faith in any intervention to reconnect them to the national grid.
The return of electricity is critical for lighting homes and powering machinery to drive small and medium-sized enterprises.
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Taura, local government is not only area suffered the prolonged power outage, many communities in the neighbouring Ringim Local Government were equally affected.
According to a report from the State Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, a total of 104 communities were plunged into darkness for over 15 years in the areas.
As a result of the outage, many businesses collapsed, and power infrastructure in the area was vandalized, worsening the situation.
The efforts of Governor Malam Umar Namadi's administration to repair the cable lines and other power facilities have restored the people's hope of returning to a path of social and economic development.
It is well known that a reliable power supply is not a luxury in the modern era but an integral aspect of healthcare service delivery, as well as the social and economic life of any society.
Therefore, the people of Taura Local Government have every reason to celebrate the return of electricity and to voice their renewed hope.
Ibrahim Sulaiman, a welder, lamented how his business suffered for over a decade due to the power outage and how the situation affected his family's livelihood.
"In the last 16 years, my livelihood was seriously affected. Using diesel to power my workshop was costly, and most of the time I operated at a loss," Ibrahim revealed in an exclusive interview.
He stated that the high cost of welding materials, combined with the expense of running a generator, increased his production costs. This, in turn, caused his number of customers to shrink.
"What I can tell you is that our production was reduced to a skeleton. The income was too little to sustain my family with a decent life," he said.
"By reconnecting our society to the national grid, we are hopeful that our businesses will revive, our income will improve, and our social and economic lives will be enhanced. We are happy now."
"We thank Governor Malam Umar Namadi and his cabinet for a job well done, addressing a problem that has plagued our area for over a decade."
Similarly, Musa Shehu from Taura explained how the years without power forced him to close his cold drink shop and migrate to urban areas for survival.
He narrated that with the return of electricity, he is hopeful of reviving his business, which provided a more decent livelihood than the labour work he had to seek in Kano or Ibadan.
For His Excellency, Governor Malam Umar Namadi, the project to restore power was a duty-bound responsibility of the state government, executed through the Ministry of Power.
While answering questions from journalists after commissioning the project, Governor Namadi said his government is determined to implement projects and programs that enhance the social and economic lives of Jigawa citizens.
The Governor noted that the project was awarded last year and has reached an advanced stage, with the first phase already completed.
"The first phase involved rehabilitating the main line that supplies power from the substation to the area. The second phase is the rehabilitation of the community wiring that distributes power from one area to another," Governor Namadi explained.
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"Under this project, we aim to reconnect 104 communities in Taura and Ringim Local Government Areas, and we hope to complete it as soon as possible."
On his part, the State Commissioner for the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, Engr. Surajo Musa, stated that besides reconnecting the area to the national grid, the state government is also executing solar-powered projects at key public places to enhance service delivery.
At the commissioning ceremony, Engr. Surajo reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring every community in Jigawa State enjoys a stable power supply.
If the philosophy of any democratic government is to pursue the betterment of its people in all respects, then addressing a 16-year-old power problem that plagued 104 communities is a clear reflection of purposeful leadership.
This achievement deserves commendation not only from the beneficiaries but from everyone with a sense of humanity.
