Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have continued to lament worsening electricity supply, describing the situation as unbearable amid rising temperatures and rising cost of living. A resident, Gabriel Kachi, said: “The situation is affecting our daily living and crippling small businesses that depend heavily on stable power supply.

“Life has become very uncomfortable for many households because this problem has persisted for so long. Many households now struggle with simple tasks like charging phones, preserving food and running electrical appliances.

“Apart from charging phones, water is one of the major crises we are facing. A 20-litre container of water now sells for N100, as against N20 before, due to the high cost of fuel used for pumping water because electricity is hardly supplied.

“Residents are now forced to spend more on basic necessities. Life is no longer easy due to epileptic power supply, especially in this very hot weather.”

Madam Chioma Henry said: “Before now, we used to buy three 20-litre jerry cans for about N50. But today, a single 20-litre jerry can is sold for as much as N100.

“For an average household consuming more than 10 jerry cans daily, the cost of water alone runs into thousands of naira. Many residents can no longer afford fuel to power generators, leaving them without any alternative source of electricity.

“The price of sachet water, also known as pure water, has risen from about N250 per bag to between N400 and N500, depending on location. The weather is extremely hot, and we need water and electricity to survive. Without light, life has become very difficult.”

Gift Njoku of Phase 4, Kubwa: “Sleeping outside is still not a solution to the problem because I need water to bathe several times and to quench my thirst. The country is talking about ending open defecation, but it will be very difficult to achieve.

“Lack of water has forced many people to return to using the bush or any available open space. Federal government should address the persistent power challenges.”

Joy Ameh resides in Nyanya: “For some months now, electricity supply here has been unstable. All we hear are excuses, and the heat has become unbearable.

“My family cannot sleep at night, even with windows open. The breeze does not come in, and everything in my freezer has melted. Whenever electricity is restored, it hardly lasts up to an hour, not enough to freeze anything. The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company should normalise the situation. We are taxpayers and deserve value for what we pay.”

Ette Clems said: “Even sleeping outside is still not the solution. I still need water to bathe two to three times before midnight just to cool my body.”

Justice Okafor runs a frozen foods store at Wuse Market. He said: “The cost of maintaining goods has skyrocketed due to dependence on generators. It is because there is no light. Not everyone can afford large generators. Fuel is expensive, everywhere is hot and patronage has dropped.”

A business centre operator, John Alo, said: “The prolonged outage has reduced my profit margin as I now spend more on fuel. Abuja Electricity Distribution Company and relevant authorities should improve power supply and ease the hardship faced by residents, particularly during the peak of the hot season.” (The Sun)

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