Kubwa power outage leaves businesses counting losses after a week

By Emmanuella Opara Isioma | October 12th 2026

KEY POINTS

• -Residents and business owners in Kubwa, Abuja, report more than a week without electricity.
• -Food vendors and frozen-food dealers say spoiled stock has caused substantial financial losses.
• -A barber says rising fuel costs have increased the burden of running his business on a generator.
• -Residents complain that AEDC did not provide advance notice or an explanation for the outage.
• -An AEDC official attributes the disruption to a technical fault on the 330KV Shiroro-Katampe transmission line.

MAIN STORY

Business owners and residents in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have reported financial losses and disruptions to their daily activities following a power outage that has lasted for more than a week.

The prolonged interruption has affected businesses that depend on electricity for refrigeration and daily operations, with operators reporting spoiled food supplies, lost income and difficulties meeting financial obligations.

A food vendor, Eniola Aderenle, said she had lost food items purchased in bulk to last her a month because she could no longer preserve them in her refrigerator.

“I have lost a lot of money, this is very frustrating and annoying. It is even more painful that no reason has been given for the outage,” she said.

Kunle Babalola, a frozen-food dealer, also said his goods had spoiled during the outage, leaving him with significant losses.

He said he was struggling with the consequences because he had borrowed money from a bank to stock his shop.

“I am so sad, I have lost so much money. The bank I took a loan from to stock my shop is after me, what am I supposed to do,” he asked.

For Tunde Aremu, a barber, the absence of electricity has meant relying on a generator to keep his business running, despite the high cost of fuel.

He said he had to continue operating to provide for his family and meet household expenses.

Aremu also criticised the lack of advance notice about the disruption, saying information about planned outages would have helped residents and businesses prepare.

Residents have similarly reported losses at home. Becky Umukoro, a housewife and mother of five, said food stored in her refrigerator had gone bad.

She described the situation as frustrating and disappointing.

“For a country that has so many mineral resources, we should not be in this kind of predicament,” she said.

Another resident, Isabella Osahon, expressed concern about the impact of unreliable electricity on economic activities and the country’s plans to adopt electric vehicles.

“Nigeria is talking about Electric Vehicles, with this kind of development, how do you charge the car batteries,” she asked.

Osahon urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to address the problem.

Other residents, including Robert Are, Dupe Ogbede and Elizabeth Okoro, also called for the authorities concerned to restore electricity without further delay.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) did not respond to calls and text messages sent to its customer care line.

However, an official of the company attributed the outage to a technical fault on the 330KV Shiroro-Katampe transmission line, which belongs to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

The official assured affected residents that efforts were under way to resolve the problem.

THE ISSUES

The outage has exposed the financial risks faced by businesses that depend on uninterrupted electricity, particularly those selling perishable goods. Spoiled stock can wipe out working capital, while business owners who rely on generators must contend with additional fuel expenses.

The absence of advance communication has also complicated the situation for residents and traders, who say they could have made alternative arrangements if they had been informed.

Although an AEDC official attributed the disruption to a technical fault on a transmission line owned by TCN, the report did not establish when electricity would be restored.

WHAT’S BEING SAID

“I have lost a lot of money, this is very frustrating and annoying. It is even more painful that no reason has been given for the outage.”

“I am so sad, I have lost so much money. The bank I took a loan from to stock my shop is after me, what am I supposed to do,”

“For a country that has so many mineral resources, we should not be in this kind of predicament.”

“Nigeria is talking about Electric Vehicles, with this kind of development, how do you charge the car batteries,”

WHAT’S NEXT

The immediate priority is the resolution of the technical fault affecting the Shiroro-Katampe transmission line and the restoration of electricity to affected areas of Kubwa.

Residents and business owners will also be looking for clearer communication from the electricity distribution company about the disruption and the expected restoration timeline. No specific restoration date was provided in the report.

BOTTOM LINE

More than a week without electricity has left Kubwa residents and business owners dealing with spoiled food, lost income and higher operating costs. While AEDC has attributed the disruption to a technical fault on the Shiroro-Katampe transmission line, affected residents are seeking a swift restoration of supply and better communication.