Residents and business owners in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, are counting their losses as a prolonged power outage enters its second week.
The blackout followed the collapse of Tower T367 on the 330 kV Kainji-Birnin Kebbi transmission line operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
TCN said the line tripped at 10:44 p.m. on September 7, 2026, while a subsequent attempt to restore supply also failed. A fault-finding patrol later discovered that the tower had collapsed, with preliminary findings blaming heavy winds and rainstorms.
The outage has disrupted businesses including welding, milling, bread production, cold-water sales, and phone charging.
Two millers, Shehu Yusuf and Aliyu Muhammad, said they had lost more than N500,000 in a week, while a cold-water seller, Ummu Abubakar, estimated her daily losses at about N10,000.
Residents and business owners have urged TCN to speed up repairs and restore electricity.
TCN has declared force majeure on the affected transmission line and said it is mobilizing personnel, equipment, and other resources to rehabilitate the collapsed tower.
The company said electricity transmission to Sokoto is being maintained through an alternative route while efforts continue to restore normal power transmission along the Kainji-Birnin Kebbi corridor.
