If the rest of Abuja has not been hearing the drumbeat of joy from settlements such as Masaka, Kuchikau, Auta-balefi, down to Keffi over the past one week, it might have been because each one of us hears what we want to hear. Otherwise, these communities have been in a joyous celebration of the return of NEPA to their world after six months in the ‘heart darkness’. By NEPA is meant electricity supply in this usage rather than NEPA as a defunct national electricity supply outfit in Nigeria.
Problem Has Changed Name (PHCN) ,indeed!
Intervention is told that darkness has been the companion of travel for the communities since March 2025. Only last Friday, the Catholic Bishop of Lafia, Bishop David Ajang was so piqued as to speak out during a visit to one of the communities.
It is not clear why this happened but neither is it worth finding out, being a common experience across the country. Those who should know think it is best to understand all such creases as testimonies that Nigeria is horribly distressed as far as electricity energy is concerned. For instance, the story in town today is the collapse of the national grid, something which has become routine in the past few years. It is likely some patch-patch attention will get the grid back for a few weeks before another round of grid collapse.
The experience around Masaka, Kuchikau, Auta-balefi is beyond grid collapse. Their story came to Intervention through the most unlikely source. An irregular contact digressed during a group conversation to say “by the way, we got light yesterday evening, first in six months! The last time we had light was in early March this year”. And he went on to describe it as “It could be our own share of demonstration of ‘demon-crazy’
What is the name of your ‘angwa’ (settlement), Intervention asked. In responding to that, he said it not just his ‘angwa’ but involves many settlements. The most popular ones of them are Masaka, Kuchikau, Auta-balefi, down to Keffi, said he.
Intervention wanted to be sure if all these places didn’t have NEPA for six months? Are you sure, he was asked? He replied in the affirmative, indicating that his own settlement is Kuchikau which is between Masaka and Auta-balefi on the Keffi-Abuja road.
Although these communities belong to Nasarawa State in theory, they are practically reckoned with as Abuja dwellers. The story ruptures the assumption that certain standards should be taken for granted in and around Abuja on account of it being the capital city. Beyond that, it reinforces the Nigerian exception in escapism that a whole set of contiguous settlements would be in darkness for six months and it is not regarded as an abnormality or a technocratic scandal. Nigeria, we hail thee, indeed!
