Five days after the scheduled deadline, four states in Nigeria’s North-East geopolitical zone—Adamawa, Yobe, Borno, and Taraba—still remain in total darkness.

This, as observed by The Guardian, was necessitated by the failure of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) to restore electricity as promised.

YEDC had earlier assured residents of the aforementioned states that power would be restored to the affected areas by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

But at the time of filing this report, the blackout, which persists in four out of the six states in the zone, has begun to spark outrage and deepen frustrations across the region.

In its most recent communication, YEDC explained that the prolonged outage was to enable the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to carry out critical upgrade works on the Jos-Gombe 330kV and Jos-Bauchi-Gombe 132kV transmission lines.

The upgrade, according to the management, includes the installation of new towers at the Bauchi 330kV station and the rerouting of an existing 132kV line.

Despite these explanations, residents say the company’s repeated failure to meet its own timelines has crippled business activities and daily life.

Many who spoke with *The Guardian*’s Taraba State correspondent decried the rising cost of goods and services as a result of the ongoing blackout.

“This is beyond frustrating. Small businesses are shutting down. We can’t continue like this,” one resident said.

The situation has also led to mounting calls for government intervention. Some residents are urging the federal government to replace YEDC with a more competent distribution company, arguing that the region deserves stable and reliable electricity to sustain its economy and improve living conditions.

As the blackout drags on with no new restoration timeline announced, affected communities across the aforementioned states, as noticed by The Guardian, continue to endure hardship and uncertainty. (The Guardian)