Yola blackout raises business costs, puts small enterprises under pressure

For more than three months, the hum of generators has become an unwelcome soundtrack to daily life in parts of Yola and its environs as prolonged electricity outages continue to disrupt businesses, institutions and households.

Areas including Hayin Gada, Federal Housing Estate, Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Kofare and surrounding communities have been particularly affected by the unreliable power supply.

For many small business owners, the blackout has gone beyond inconvenience, becoming an additional financial burden at a time when the cost of fuel, transportation and other essentials is already putting pressure on household incomes and business operations.

The Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) had earlier attributed the disruption to maintenance activities along the Jos-Bauchi and Gombe feeders. The prolonged outage has, however, left many residents questioning how long they would have to endure the economic consequences of the electricity crisis.

In July, residents of Girei Local Government Area and neighbouring communities reportedly took to the streets to protest the persistent power outage, highlighting the growing frustration among electricity consumers.

For small businesses that depend directly on electricity, the impact has been particularly severe. Operators say they are being forced to choose between shutting down, increasing their prices or spending a substantial part of their already limited earnings on alternative sources of power.

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When Power Becomes a Business Expense

For Deborah Amos, who operates a hairdressing salon, the difference between having electricity and relying on a generator has become the difference between making a profit and running at a loss.

Amos recalled that before the prolonged outage, her salon attracted customers steadily from about 9 a.m. until closing time. But the situation changed when the electricity supply became increasingly unreliable.

She said she had had to depend on a generator to keep the business running, with the cost of petrol adding significantly to her operating expenses.

“I usually wash hair for N2,000, but with generator it is N3,000. This has caused low patronage because many cannot even afford to pay and, in most cases, I even run at a loss,” she lamented.

For customers, the increase in service charges is another burden. But for operators like Amos, keeping prices unchanged is equally difficult because the cost of generating electricity has become part of the cost of providing the service.

This has created a difficult cycle: businesses increase prices to survive, while customers reduce patronage because they can no longer afford the higher charges.

At the gate of MAUTECH, Nurudeen Idris sells soft drinks, a business that depends heavily on refrigeration.

For him, electricity is not simply a convenience; it is an essential part of his business model.

Idris said customers generally prefer chilled drinks, making it difficult to sustain sales without a reliable source of electricity. Running a generator, he explained, means spending more money on petrol, while passing the additional cost to customers could make his products less affordable.

As a small-scale operator, he said his options are limited.

“If I use a generator, the cost of running the business increases. If I increase the price of the drinks, customers may not buy. Solar is another option, but the initial cost is too high for a small business owner,” he said.

His experience reflects the dilemma confronting many informal businesses in the affected communities: continue spending scarce resources on petrol or invest in alternative energy systems that many cannot afford.

The story is similar for fashion designers Anasim Alvary and Sulei Mohammad, who said the power outage has significantly reduced their productivity.

According to them, they could previously sew between three and five pairs of clothes in a day, depending on the complexity of the designs. But the unreliable electricity supply has made it difficult to maintain that level of output.

“Some days we don’t even sew a pair. Other days, we manage to make two pairs,” they said.

For fashion designers, a reduction in daily output means delayed orders, dissatisfied customers and lost income. Yet using a generator continuously is not an easy alternative, particularly as the price of petrol continues to rise.

The experience of these business owners illustrates a wider economic reality, when electricity becomes unreliable, the consequences extend beyond darkness. Production falls, operating costs rise and consumers ultimately bear part of the burden through higher prices.

With electricity supply remaining uncertain, many residents and business owners are gradually turning to alternative sources of energy, particularly solar power.

Solar energy offers an attractive option because it can reduce dependence on petrol and provide a more stable and cleaner source of electricity.

But for many micro, small and medium-sized businesses, the initial cost of purchasing solar panels, batteries, inverters and other equipment remains a major obstacle.

This raises an important question: Can every small business owner afford the transition to solar power?

For established businesses, investing in alternative energy may be possible. For roadside traders, hairdressers, tailors, food vendors and other small operators living from daily earnings, however, the cost may be beyond reach.

The situation therefore goes beyond the immediate need to restore electricity. It also raises broader questions about how government and electricity distribution companies can protect small businesses from the economic shocks created by prolonged power disruptions.

In response to the prolonged disruption, YEDC has announced that it has awarded a contract for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the 132kV transmission towers supplying Hayin Gada, MAUTECH and surrounding communities.

The company said the design for the project had been completed, while fabrication of the required materials was nearing completion.

The contractor, it added, was already mobilising to the site and would soon commence rehabilitation work.

YEDC acknowledged the prolonged interruption to electricity supply and its impact on residents, businesses and institutions in the affected areas.

The company said it remained committed to completing the project and restoring electricity supply as soon as the rehabilitation works were concluded. It also promised to provide periodic updates on the progress of the project.

For residents and business owners who have spent months navigating the consequences of the blackout, the announcement offers a measure of hope.

But until electricity is restored, the generators will continue to run, fuel bills will continue to accumulate and small businesses will remain caught between rising operating costs and customers whose purchasing power is already under pressure.

For people like Amos, Idris, Alvary and Mohammad, reliable electricity is not merely about having light at home. It is about keeping their businesses open, retaining customers, meeting orders and earning enough to support their families.

The longer the blackout persists, the greater the economic cost for those whose livelihoods depend on keeping the lights on.

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