For nearly two weeks, northern Nigeria has been plunged into darkness following acts of sabotage attributed to jihadist groups, affecting more than half of the country’s states. According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the national electricity operator, the transmission line connecting Shiroro to Mando in Niger State was targeted. This sabotage has deprived 19 of Nigeria’s 36 states of electricity, intensifying an already severe energy crisis.
In Africa’s most populous country, power outages are commonplace due to a weak electric grid that cannot meet national demand. However, recurrent attacks by jihadist groups in the northern half of Nigeria have worsened the situation in recent years. These acts of violence, particularly targeting critical infrastructure like power lines, endanger the local economy and residents’ access to basic services.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of security forces to protect engineers repairing the damaged infrastructure. In response to the crisis, governors from the 19 affected states met in Kaduna, calling for an urgent restoration of electricity to alleviate the severe social and economic impacts of this prolonged outage.
Persistent Insecurity Around the Shiroro Hydropower Plant
The attacked transmission line feeds the Shiroro area, which hosts the largest hydropower plant in the country. This area in Niger State has been regularly shaken by jihadist violence, particularly from Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap). These armed groups have intensified their actions by targeting strategic infrastructure, including power facilities, to create chaos and weaken areas under Nigerian authority.
Jihadist violence has worsened with the emergence of local armed gangs known as “bandits,” who terrorize the populations of Shiroro and surrounding regions. Often operating in coordination with jihadist groups, these “bandits” raid villages, looting and kidnapping residents for ransom.
Devastating Economic and Social Impact
For residents, the absence of power represents a significant barrier to daily life. Small business owners, like Umaru Abubakar, a tailor in Kano, are severely affected. “We have stopped working because paying for a generator is too expensive,” he says. The increase in fuel prices, following President Tinubu’s 2023 economic reforms, has made the use of generators increasingly costly.
The services sector is also paralyzed by the outage, complicating the work of those who rely on electronic equipment. In Kaduna, journalists and freelancers are forced to go to places like hotels or bars to charge their devices, as power is unavailable at home.
Water Crisis and Rising Prices
In addition to economic consequences, the power outage has caused a severe shortage of drinking water, particularly in Katsina in northern Nigeria. The price of a 25-liter water jug has increased fivefold, making this essential resource unaffordable for many households. The outage also affects commercial boreholes, which require generators to operate. However, with the surge in fuel costs, supplying drinking water has become a daily challenge for residents in the region.
The situation is even more concerning as no precise date has been set for restoring power in northern Nigeria. Repair work, already delayed due to security concerns, struggles to advance amid jihadist threats. For now, local populations are trying to adapt to these new constraints in a context of economic crisis exacerbated by persistent insecurities.
