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Nigerians may celebrate New Year in darkness

By BusinessNews Staff on December 31, 2013

Majority of Nigerians may celebrate the New Year festivity in darkness as power cut worsens.

Many electricity consumers were thrown into darkness during the Yuletide season and the situation has not improved.

Our correspondent learnt that power supply to many areas in Lagos had been poor in recent weeks. Some of the affected areas are Mile 12, Ketu, Ojota, Maryland, Palm Grove, Onipanu, Bariga. Others are Lagos Island, Oshodi/Isolo, Apapa, Mushin and Iyana Oworo.

Checks on Sunday also showed that the situation had not improved as many consumers lamented they spent so much to fuel their generators during the holiday.

Mr. Akinwunmi Falodun and Ms. Omoyemi Ezekiel, who live in the Ijesha area of Lagos, explained that electricity supply had been poor throughout the festive season.

“No power supply in our area before Christmas and the situation has remained the same till today. We have relied on the generator,” another consumer, Mr. Biodun Anibaba, who lives in the Magboro area of Ogun State, said.

Similarly, Mr. Bright Chukwuma, a resident of Oshodi area of Lagos, said that with the exception of some parts of Bolade, a larger part of Oshodi and its environs had been thrown into darkness even before the Christmas day. “We have been spending so much to fuel generators,” he added.

Mr. Daniel Odinaka named three streets, Ayoola Balogun, Alake Lankoko and Ademoye, in the Ikotun area of Lagos as having been literally cut off from power supply.

The initial arrangement, he said, was that electricity would be supplied to the affected streets for two days while it would not be supplied on the third day.

“But now, since the private sector operators took over, we have been in darkness. The only time they give us light in the morning is when they are coming to disconnect us in the afternoon,” he said.

Our correspondent learnt on Sunday that power generation dropped to 3,551.2MW as of Saturday, December 28, 2013. This is 24.5MW lower than the 3,575.70MW generated on December 21, 2013.

[Punch]

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