Week-Long Blackout Cripples Taraba, Adamawa as Residents, Businesses Reel Under Power Shutdown

|By Babatunji Wusu

Residents and businesses across Taraba and Adamawa states have continued to struggle under a week-long power outage that has plunged major communities into darkness and crippled economic activities.

The blackout, which began on Monday, December 1, followed a planned shutdown announced by the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) to allow major maintenance work on key transmission infrastructure.

By midweek, communities including Jalingo, Zing, Lau, Mutum-Biyu, Mayo-Belwa, Jeda, Ganye and Toungo remained without power, forcing traders, service providers and households to grapple with stalled operations and rising costs.

Business owners in Jalingo said the outage has crippled productivity, with many unable to power refrigerators, machines and other tools. Prices of sachet water and chilled drinks have surged as vendors struggle to meet demand without electricity.

Small-scale entrepreneurs told Daily Post that the shutdown has made survival difficult. They urged YEDC to expedite the rehabilitation exercise and honour its promise to restore supply by December 8, 2025.

YEDC had earlier explained that the outage is necessary for MBH Power Contractor to complete rehabilitation and reinforcement at the 330/132 kV and 132/33 kV transmission stations in Mayo-Belwa. The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) confirmed that the project also includes connecting a turn-in-turn-out 330 kV line, expected to boost grid stability in the region.

“During the maintenance period, electricity supply from both the Mayo-Belwa and Jalingo transmission stations will be unavailable,” YEDC repeated in its latest notice.

Residents across the two states now wait anxiously for the December 8 restoration date, hoping that life and business will return to normal.