Blackout: Makurdi residents decry poor electricity supply despite high charges

Blackout: Makurdi residents decry poor electricity supply despite high charges

 

Makurdi, March  2026 (TBL Africa) Residents of Makurdi, the Benue capital, have decried poor power supply within the city despite the high charges by the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).

The residents said on Tuesday in Makurdi that the situation continues to deteriorate, leaving some communities in total blackout.

The residents expressed worry that the acute decline in the power supply coincides with the excessive heat currently being experienced in Makurdi and its environs.

Mrs Dorathy Kumachivir, who stays on George Akume Way, Makurdi, described the power supply as terrible.

Kumachivir said that the epileptic nature of the light makes it difficult for us to preserve food in our refrigerators.

“We hardly sleep at night because of the excessive heat, as there is usually no light to power our fans,” he said.

Ms Jessica Ivarave, a food vendor in High Level, said  that she no longer makes use of light because of lack of light.

Ivarave said that she had resorted to buying her food items that require refrigeration on a daily basis.

“The heat is intense, and there is no light to serve our customers cold water and other drinks.

“We are appealing to whoever is concerned to address the issue speedily for the benefit of the common man,” she pleaded.

Mrs Angela Amine, a resident of Aper Aku Estate, North Bank, said that they have been going through a harrowing experience due to lack of power supply.

Amine said that they go without light for days, and when it eventually comes, it lasts for less than an hour.

“Even the less than an hour’s supply comes late into the night when nobody can use it for any other thing.

“We rely solely on light to power the borehole that we get water from.

“The whole community is now suffering from water scarcity because of lack of light to pump water,” she said.

Also, Johnathan Audu, a resident of North Bank, said they had been experiencing poor energy supply for over three months.

Audu said that they receive less than 20 minutes’ energy supply in every 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Mr James Igba, a resident of Tse Adi, a settlement located between Coca-Cola and Nyor, said they have not seen energy for over a year.

Igba explained that the issue started with their transformer developing a fault in 2024, and since then, they have not received any energy supply.

Mrs Eunice Terdoo also said that they have seen light for over 11 months at the Tse Adi area.

Terdoo said they had written to all relevant authorities over the issue, but nothing was done about it.

However, JEDC Head of Corporate Services, Dr Adakole Elijah, said that energy supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria has dropped significantly.

Elijah said that the company at the moment does not receive energy that is commensurate to the energy demands of the customers in Makurdi.

The head of corporate services said  that JED had in the meantime adopted a new formula to meet the energy needs of the customers through rationing.

He explained that through rationing, customers on band A get more energy than those on other bands.

Elijah further explained that Makurdi North had a peculiar problem that has over the years denied them a regular power supply.

According to him, the lines that supply energy to the area that pass under the River Benue bridge are constantly having issues.

He, however, disclosed that the government was at the moment considering redirecting the lines on top of the bridge for more safety.

“We can not supply more than what we have. The current energy that we receive is not enough to service Makurdi customers.

“So to meet the energy needs of our customers, we have resorted to rationing to ensure that all customers get energy within every 24 hrs.

“Those on band A are still enjoying more energy than those on the other bands. Satisfying our customers will always remain our period,” he said.