By Kola Alhassan
It was lamentations and outrage from business owners and shop owners around Ikeja axis of Lagos State following the blackout caused by the National Power grid collapse on Friday evening. This is the third time the grid has collapsed within a month.
Last month (March), the nation’s power grid collapsed twice and further aggravated electricity problem throughout the federation.
It hit hard on citizens because of the fuel scarcity at that time.
Again, the Friday evening power grid collapse has subjected citizens to darkness. Business owners, shop owners and other residents bemoan the situation while speaking to IkejaBird on Saturday.
Musbau Sanusi, a computer engineer and dealer in laptops in Ikeja computer village, said: “This is getting too much. Every time,they tell us the power grid is off.
Nigeria has come of age, we should not be giving excuses.
“Since yesterday evening, I have been using my generator. I have many computers to repair. I use electricity for my job. Soldering and testing of new systems too. The situation is terrible.”
According to a man identified as Razak Ade, a welder around Ajayi Farms in Ikeja, since the power outage, he has not been able to work. He noted that unless electricity is restored, he may not be able to work this week again because of his faulty generating set.
“It is hard to understand what is happening in this country. Almost all the time, there is power outage. As a welder, poor electricity will take me out of this business. Since yesterday, I have not worked. My generator is faulty. It will cost me a huge amount to repair.”
For a man simply identified as Uche, who operates a roadside charging shop around Ikeja inside, under bridge, his business would have gone defunct if not for his small generator. He berates government for its seeming inactions.
“Our government is not working at all. Any serious government would ensure adequate supply of electricity. But in Nigeria here, we don’t care.
“I would have gone out of this charging business, if not for my small generator.”
Another dealer in laptops in Ikeja computer village, Sunday Arinze, urged government to find a lasting solution to the incessant collapse of the power grid. He noted that for those who buys laptops from him, he tests it for them with generator, which according to him is not too good.
“The government should do needful regarding our electricity. People who cannot afford generator will run out of business. I sell laptops to people and I test for them with generator. It is not very good,” he said.
