As the month of Ramadan enters day 5, on Friday, many Kano State residents have continued to decry a scarcity of ice block.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the scarcity could have been as a result of a total electricity blackout, occasioned by the collapse in national grid.
Our correspondent observed that the situation had also caused the price ice block to hike from N70 to N200, a situation that brought displeasure to the residents.
However, the residents had to resort to using normal drinks to break their fast, owing to scarcity of the ice block, adding that, that was not even effective to quench their thirst.
Many of the residents complained that they had been to many places in search of ice blocks but could not find it.
Salisu Bara’u, a tailor working in Fagge local government area, said that he had to resort using normal water to break his fast.
“I had to leave my work and go in search of ice block but to no avail. Even if you find it you will see that the place is rowdy and sold in increased price.
“We are confused. We don’t know what to do to enjoy ourselves in this holy month. In view of this excessive heat, one has no option than to break our fast with cold drinks but in these few days, we are not getting it here,” he lamented.
Another resident, Aisha Suleman who sells soft drinks, lamented the scarcity and increase in price of ice block in the state.
She lamented that her business had been paralysed at a result of the situation, calling on authorities to do the needful in order to ease suffering of the masses.
However, the Kano Electricity Distribution Company, KEDCO had apologised to its esteemed customers over the protracted power outage being experienced at its coverage areas of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States.
As national grid collapsed the third time in two days, living KEDCO with no power to share, the firm pleaded with its customers to exercise patients over the inconveniences the problem had caused.
The company’s spokesman, Mohammed Kandi, said in a statement issued in Kano on Thursday that, “the management of KEDCO sincerely apologise to all our esteemed customers in Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states on the ongoing power shortage being experienced at their various locations.”
He further explained that power supply was restored to customers at about 10am on Thursday, after the second collapse which occurred by 5:27am.
According to Mr Kandi, “the grid crashed again at exactly 2:24pm on Thursday, thereby forcing KEDCO coverage areas to deal with zero Megawatts.”
Mr Kandi, however, assured that normal power supply would be restored to KEDCO’s network area as soon as the grid stabilises.
