Residents, students and business owners in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State are lamenting total blackout after three transmission towers collapsed along the Karu-Keffi-Akwanga 132kV line.
The incident happened on *October 7, 2026, at about 4:06 p.m* following heavy rainfall and strong winds, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
TCN said towers *T78, T79 and T80* collapsed, causing the line to trip on over-current protection and leaving the 33kV feeders at Keffi and Akwanga transmission substations unavailable.
A former NEPA staff, Paul Danjuma, explained that the 132kV line supplies electricity to substations which then distribute power through lower-voltage feeders. The collapse forced the line to be isolated for safety, cutting supply to thousands of customers.
At Agwan Lambu Market in Keffi, cold-drink seller Chima Oganiru Onubiyi said he now struggles to sell 5 bags of sachet water daily, down from 15 bags.
> “The power outage has greatly affected my business… I and other residents are even more worried because of the heat season that we have just entered. If nothing is done to restore electricity… I don’t know how we will cope,” he lamented.
Students of Nasarawa State University are worst hit. Adachukwu Eze, a student in Keffi, said night reading has become impossible.
> “This situation is getting out of hand… Since the power outage, reading at night has become very difficult. How will a person be reading in the dark coupled with the heat?”
Residents now pay more to charge phones and electronic devices, while traders report declining sales.
TCN has apologised and said engineers are assessing the damage and materials needed for restoration, promising to give updates. But as of October 27, the blackout persists.
For Keffi residents, the wait for light continues — in the middle of Nigeria’s harsh heat season.
