Electricity Restored In Maiduguri
Residents of Maiduguri were happy Wednesday evening for electricity restoration of nearly two months after Boko Haram blew up power supply lines.
The January 26 attack marks the third time in a month that militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group is putting the city in darkness.
On a bustling street near Bakassi camp, which hosts more than 30,000 people displaced by the conflict in the region, residents were rejoicing.
“Seriously, I appreciate it,” Sihiyina Chinde, 24, sitting on a wooden bench, preparing pan-fried rice cake and grounded beans in a pan she could finally see thanks to the street lights.
“I’m a maths and statistics student and now I can read my books without using my torchlight.”
Across the road, a group of children were buying cold water, sold in small plastic bags.
“The light came back at 5:42pm,” said the shop owner, Ibrahim Mustafa Goni.
The power company hasn’t released a statement but said it was working on repairing the supply lines to the city
“Life has been hard,” says 48-year-old Goni, “especially, in the hot season, when we really need cold water.”
Last week, it was 42 degrees in Maiduguri. Goni had to use a generator from 6am to 10pm, which cost him about 6,000 naira each day.
“I had to increase the price of my commodities (as a result) and customers were complaining.”
Tonight, “I’m happy,” says Goni, but “I appeal for the government to provide more security ro avoid re-occurrence.”
ISWAP and Boko Haram group often target infrastructure, blowing up telecom and power lines in the northeast.
Militants also target army patrols, making the roads risky for civilians as well as repair crews from the power company.
Electricity Restored In Maiduguri
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