Some traders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the worsening power outage across the nation's capital, saying it is crippling their businesses and threatening their livelihoods.
The traders, who operate in areas such as Karu, ACO Estate, Dei-Dei and Dutse, described the situation as frustrating and embarrassing in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
Most of them said their businesses depend heavily on electricity to function.
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NAN reports that several parts of the FCT, particularly satellite towns, have been without power for days, and in some cases, weeks.
Mr Andrew Okorie, who operates a cold room in Karu, said he spends nearly N20,000 daily on diesel to preserve perishable goods.
"It's not funny at all. I am making little or no profit because of the unstable power supply," he said, urging the federal government to urgently address the situation.
Mrs Agnes Odiase, a restaurant owner in Karu, described the situation as chaotic, noting that customers are increasingly uncomfortable due to incessant outages.
"I can't boast of power supply for even one hour at a stretch. It comes and goes every one or two hours, and this is affecting my business seriously," she said.
A barber in ACO Estate, along Airport Road, Mr Segun Ayomide, said he had been forced to increase the cost of a haircut from N500 to N1,000 to cope with rising fuel expenses.
He added that the erratic power supply in the last three days had significantly affected his earnings.
Mr Raymond Okon, a fashion designer in Dutse, said the outage has made it difficult to meet customers' demands.
"I know some consumers enjoy up to 18 hours of electricity, especially those on Band A, but others are left in darkness," he said, calling on the government to ensure equitable power distribution.
Mrs Caroline Uneru, who sells cold drinks and water in Dei-Dei, said her business was declining due to the inability to keep her goods chilled.
"In this heat, nobody wants to buy warm drinks. I am appealing to the government to alleviate our suffering," she said.
NAN reports that the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) attributed the decline in electricity generation to persistent gas supply constraints affecting thermal power plants.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologised to Nigerians over the situation and assured that supply would improve within two weeks.
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"With the feedback from gas suppliers and ongoing repairs of pipelines, we expect to see improvements soon," he said. (NAN)
