By Georgina Humphrey
A scorching heatwave and persistent power outages have plunged parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into deep discomfort, forcing residents to contend with rising living costs, water scarcity, and deteriorating sanitation conditions.
Across communities in AMAC, Kubwa, Nyanya, and Wuse, the daily struggle for electricity and water has become a defining hardship for many households.
For weeks, several neighbourhoods have received less than an hour of electricity per day, leaving homes without ventilation, cooling systems, or the ability to carry out basic domestic tasks.
A visit to some districts revealed how the heatwave and worsening outages are exposing the fragility of essential services in the nation’s capital.
In Karshi, AMAC, Ahmed Safwan described the situation as punishing.
“For weeks now, we have hardly had up to one hour of electricity. The heat is unbearable, and families cannot even run basic appliances,” he said
Safwan added that small businesses are shutting down as fuel and water costs continue to rise.
“It is draining. Every day we buy fuel, and water prices keep rising. Living like this is no longer sustainable, Water scarcity is now one of the most pressing challenges across the FCT” he lamented.
Mrs. Adaku Obiora from Karu linked the spike in water prices directly to the prolonged blackout.
“Before now, you could get three jerry cans for fifty naira. Today, one twenty-litre jerry can is one hundred naira. Families needing ten or more daily are spending thousands,” she said.
She added that sachet water prices have also soared and a bag of pure water which used to be two hundred and fifty naira now sells for four or five hundred.
“Everything has become expensive because there is no light,” she noted.
In Kubwa Phase Four, Amara Okechukwu said many residents now sleep outdoors to escape the heat.
“The house feels like a furnace. Without enough water to bathe regularly, even sleeping outside does not help,” she explained.
She warned that the water shortage is pushing some residents back to open defecation.
“Government talks about ending open defecation, but how is that possible when water is scarce?” she asked.
In Nyanya, Mrs. Amina Garba said her family can no longer sleep comfortably at night.
“Everything in my freezer has spoiled because the light comes on for less than an hour. It’s emotionally and physically draining,” she said.
Garba added that even a brief electricity supply offers no relief. “Our food spoils, and we can’t even store water properly. We’re exhausted,” she said.
At Wuse Market, frozen-food trader Dayo Ademola said the outages are crippling small businesses.
“This heat is spoiling goods faster than we can sell them. Fuel is expensive, and running a generator all day is almost impossible,” he explained.
Ademola fears many traders may soon close shop. “If this continues, many of us will shut down completely. We need urgent help,” he warned.
As the heatwave intensifies, residents across Abuja are appealing to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and relevant agencies to urgently stabilise power supply and ease the mounting hardship.
For thousands in the FCT, the question is no longer when electricity will improve, but how much longer they can endure the worsening conditions.
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