Millions of Nigeriens are going through pains as their businesses are collapsing as a result of Nigeria’s decision to cut electricity supply to them, residents of the neighbouring country and diplomats have said.
They said hospitals were also finding it difficult to store vaccines and other essential drugs, a development that is affecting service delivery.
At present, only a few people who can afford gasoline and have generating sets, or are ready to pay for commercial electricity supply have light.
Nigeria had on August 2, 2023, disconnected the supply of 150 megawatts of electricity daily to Niger Republic as part of efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore democracy in the Sahel country.
Nigeria’s action was part of the regional bloc, ECOWAS sanctions imposed on Niger following the July 26 ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum by the presidential guards.
According to Nigelec, an electricity company in Niger, the development followed an emergency meeting by the ECOWAS, where sanctions, including freezing utility services, were imposed on the Niger Republic over its coup.
Niger Republic was heavily dependent on Nigeria for most of its electricity supplies.
A number of cities in that country are currently experiencing prolonged blackouts after Nigeria cut its power supply. Niamey, Maradi and Zinder are witnessing total blackouts.
This is said to be unusual in the Niger Republic, which usually enjoyed a reliable electricity supply
Halimatou Mani, a nurse in Tsibiri, located 14 kilometres from Maradi city, said it had been tough for them since the electricity cut.
“We are not used to power outage here. What makes it worse is that very few people have power-generating sets.
“With the action taken by Nigeria, families are suffering because it is difficult to store perishable goods,” she said.
A trader in Maradi, who gave his name as Ibrahima, said Nigeria should restore power supply to save lives.
“It should be life first before politics. Women and children are silently dying in hospitals, especially in rural areas where there is no alternative to public power supply.
“While I appeal to the junta to come down from their high horse and negotiate with ECOWAS for the sake of the people they want to rule, I am also begging ECOWAS under the leadership of Nigeria’s leader, President Bola Tinubu, for the sake of God, to consider other options of bringing back Bazoum instead of punishing all of us,” he said.
Ibrahima said businesses were collapsing, adding, “The border closure alone has caused misery to us. People are losing their sources of livelihood. I hope the bigger bloc, the African Union would find a way of resolving this problem.”
On August 19, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Niger, Stefano Savi, warned against the severe impact of the ongoing crisis on millions of vulnerable children in the country.
“The crisis unfolding in the Republic of Niger continues to pose an ever-greater danger for millions of vulnerable children in the country.
“At present, more than two million children have been impacted by the crisis and are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
“Even before the recent civil unrest and political instability in Niger, estimated 1.5million children under the age of five were forecast to be malnourished in 2023, with at least 430,000 expected to suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition. This is a figure likely to rise if food prices continue to spike and an economic downturn hits families, households and incomes,” the statement said.
Speaking to Daily Trust Saturday, a former Nigerian ambassador to Ethiopia, Bulus Zom Lolo, said Nigeria’s decision to cut Niger off the national grid may have serious consequences on the long-time relationship between the two countries.
Lolo said that considering the complexity of the situation, Nigeria could have selected any other measure to fulfill the directive of ECOWAS without cutting the electricity supply.
“ECOWAS directed Nigeria to implement some measures because it is a member state. I am not sure that ECOWAS pinpointed what sanction or specific area they want Nigeria to go to. Nigeria could have selected any other measure in fulfilling the directive of ECOWAS without cutting the electricity supply,” he said.
He explained that only those in government would have clear information on why the decision to deprive Niger of electricity was taken. “But on the surface, it does look like we have opened the eyes of the people of Niger to an area they have closed their eyes on.
“Depending on how hard the electricity suspension hits the Niger populace, they may one day wake up and decide to revoke all the existing agreements and exercise their right to also construct the dam that would prevent the flow of River Niger to Kainji and Shiroro dams.
“This reminded me of the conflict in East Africa, where Ethiopia, which is sitting on the upstream end of River Nile, just like Niger that sits on the upstream end of River Niger, decided to build a dam.
“Egypt that is downstream, together with Sudan, is now making a lot of noise and has made the Ethiopia decision to build a dam a life and death affair.
“They were vehemently against Ethiopia exercising its sovereign right with a natural resource passing through their country to make good use of it. That’s the nature of diplomacy; many things can come up that you didn’t expect, and it is always dialogue.
“If it has always been the internal desire by Niger to construct a dam because they are on the upper end of River Niger, Nigeria has now given them every reason to do that,” he said.
— Additional details from Daily Trust.
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