Women protest blackout in Kano

Hundreds of married women have staged a peaceful demonstration to protest deteriorating  power supply at Unguwar Chika Sarari, Medile in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano metropolis.

It is very rare in a conservative state like Kano to see women protesting in their numbers over an issue. The aggrieved women said they decided to take to the streets as all their attempts to call the attention of the relevant authorities to their plight fell on deaf ears.

Their spokesperson, Mrs Hafsa Aliyu Hamza, stated that the protest was necessary as in the past seven years the residents of the area had not seen a blink of electricity, adding that the absence of power had crippled a lot of businesses in the area as well as making the area vulnerable to criminals.

“We are imprisoned in our homes. Whenever the sun sets we have to remain indoors for fear of criminals. We are living in complete darkness despite calling for the authorities’ intervention,” she said.

Similarly, Sufyanu Ali Sani, the husband to one of the protesters said the women had their consent to stage the protest, adding that being always indoors, the women are in a better position to lament their ordeal.

He further revealed that a legislator had supplied them with a transformer but the community was not able to raise enough funds for Kano Electricity Distribution Company to install it.

However, the Head, Corporate Affairs, Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO). Ibrahim Sani Shawai. said the company could not do anything on the issue because the community had not followed the right channel to address the problem.

“We are aware of that problem but we cannot do anything to help them out until they do the right thing. Their case has to do with the Rural  Electrification Board which is supposed to inform us about the transformer that was given to the community for us to come in to mount it and then to connect it with electricity.

“Already the grid is there, we are just waiting for the approval,” he said.

Shawai called on the general public to always lodge complaints through the  proper channel for necessary response from the authorities.