Power Apartheid in Yola: YEDC’s Two-Tier System of Exploitation

In Yola, electricity supply has become less of a public service and more of a status symbol. Nowhere is this more glaring than in the Shagari and Sabon Pegi axis, where residents who are not on the so-called “Band A” tariff plan endure power outages so severe that the idea of national grid electricity has become almost laughable. For many, getting less than three hours of supply a day has become the norm, while wealthier households bask in uninterrupted 24-hour light.

The Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), entrusted with providing power equitably, appears to have perfected a system of exclusion and profiteering. Instead of improving infrastructure to serve all, YEDC is accused of selling direct “hotlines” to those who can afford them, effectively creating a market where electricity is traded like contraband. This practice not only entrenches inequality but also mocks the very essence of public utility services.

In Shagari and Sabon Pegi, the frustration is palpable. Residents spend fortunes on fuel and solar batteries just to keep their homes lit, while a few streets away, the affluent enjoy uninterrupted supply courtesy of YEDC’s backdoor arrangements. What should have been a shared service has become a tool of segregation: the rich connected, the poor neglected.

The consequences go beyond inconvenience. Businesses collapse when there is no power. Students struggle to study. Health facilities are crippled. Families live in perpetual darkness while being forced to pay monthly bills for a service they barely receive. To add insult to injury, YEDC officials harass these same residents for payments, threatening disconnection if they complain too loudly.

Nigeria’s power crisis is not new, but the blatant commercialization of access by YEDC in Yola deepens the wound. It is a betrayal of trust and an abdication of responsibility. If electricity distribution is reduced to a racket where only the wealthy can buy their way into comfort, then what future is left for the ordinary citizen?

The authorities—both state and federal—must intervene immediately. YEDC must be compelled to end this discriminatory practice and ensure fair distribution of electricity. Anything less is a continuation of power apartheid, where light shines only for the privileged while the majority are condemned to darkness.

Abdul Kezo IkonAllah