News Room Residents across several communities in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis have been grappling with nearly four weeks of erratic and minimal power supply, reportedly receiving less than three hours per week. This prolonged blackout has paralysed local businesses, left remote workers struggling, and forced residents to rely on expensive generators amidst escalating energy costs. For some, even charging a phone has become an added expense. “I pay ₦200 just to charge my phone to 100%,” one frustrated resident told JoeyOffAir.
The blackout follows a series of issues with the national grid and a collapse in transmission lines in October, which led to a widespread outage affecting 17 northern states for an entire week. Although power has resumed in parts of northern Nigeria, much of Jos remains shrouded in darkness.
“The constant outages around the Kufang-NYSC secretariat area are unbearable,” a resident posted on X, tagging the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED). Another, from Bauchi Ring Road, wrote, “Are we still in band A or in band Z? Our power supply is very poor. Our businesses are really suffering.” JED had previously categorised Jos under a tariff-based banding system, where “Band A” communities pay more in exchange for an expected 20 hours of power per day, making the lack of service particularly infuriating for residents.
Despite mounting complaints, JED has so far declined to respond. When reached by JoeyOffAir, the person who answered the JED contact number claimed it was a “personal line.” An enquiry directed to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) resulted in a suggestion to submit a formal complaint, with an expected response within 16 working days—a frustrating timeline for affected residents already approaching a month without power.
State authorities, too, have remained silent, failing to address the ordeal affecting their communities. The blackout, while symptomatic of Nigeria’s larger power issues, has uniquely impacted Jos, where residents are demanding urgent solutions and accountability from both JED and state officials.
