The former gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), in Katsina State, Imran Jino, has called for compensation for businesses that experienced losses during the prolonged power outage in the North.
Mr Jino, the PRP governorship candidate in Katsina for the 2023 general elections said millions of people were affected in different ramifications.
According to Mr Jino, the prolonged power outage also led to the death of many patients in various hospitals across the region.
He said, “It’s quite unfortunate that in Nigeria we can not enjoy stable and steady power supply, to the extent that patients are dying in hospitals,” he lamented.
The former governorship candidate said many livelihoods and businesses have suffered tremendously, as some of them would have to go for closure, and may not come back again.
“This is the reason why we come up with a pressure group that will ensure that the rights of these people affected by the power failure are duly compensated.
“We are starting a process on social media to collect data to be used in analysing the extent to which people have suffered, especially in terms of lives, means of livelihood, businesses, and other social welfare and properties.
“Because so many people have lost their electronic appliances. That’s why we are going to mount pressure on the federal government, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), as well as the Discos, to compensate them.
“It’s no longer the issue of crying or calling on them to restore power, but the affected people must be adequately compensated,” he said.
According to him, the struggle has the support of lawyers across the country, ready to help the affected people in court, to get compensated.
He, therefore, advised the affected people to come up with documented evidence and express their losses, including lives, businesses and properties.