Blackout: Ex-PRP guber candidate demands compensation

Alex Ikwechegh

The former gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), in Katsina State, Alhaji Imran Jino, says people affected by the prolonged power outage in the North should be compensated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jino was the PRP gubernatorial candidate in Katsina for the 2023 general elections.

The ex-guber candidate, who stated this during a media parley in Katsina on Tuesday, also said that millions of people were affected in different ramifications.

Jino, who is the convener of Jino Support Foundation, added that the prolonged power outage led to the dead of many patients.

“It’s quite unfortunate that in Nigeria we can not enjoy stable and steady power supply, to the extent that patients are dying in hospitals,” he lamented.

The ex-guber candidate said many livelihood and businesses have suffered tremendously, as some of them would have to go for closure, and may not come back again.

“This is the reason why we come-up with a pressure group that will ensure that the rights of these people affected by the power failure are duly compensated.

“We are starting a process on social media to collect data to be used in analysing the extent to which people have suffered, especially in terms of lives, means of livelihood, businesses, and other social welfare and properties.

“Because so many people have lost their electronic appliances. That’s why we are going to mount pressure on the federal government, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), as well as the Discos to compensate them.

“It’s no longer the issue of crying or calling on them to restore power, but the affected people must be adequately compensated,” he stressed.

According to him, the struggle has the support of lawyers across the country, ready to help the affected people in court, to get compensated.

He, therefore, advised the affected people to come-up with documented evidences and express their losses, including; lives, businesses and properties. (NAN)