BY: ABDULKADIR M LAWAN, OCTOBER 09, 2026/ 01:25PM
Children and women carrying jerry cans and buckets were seen roaming the streets of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, in search of potable drinking water.
The scarcity, which has lasted for almost 48 hours, has forced many children who should be in school to spend hours searching for water for their families.
Speaking with our reporter, some residents said taps in their homes have not run for nearly two days.
Mallam Ibrahim, a father of four, said the price of water has more than doubled in his area.
He disclosed that a trip of water sold by push-cart vendors, which consists of 14 jerry cans of 20 litres each, now costs N2,000 as against the previous price of N800.
'It has become necessary for us as parents to get the water even though there is a hike in the price and our taps are not running. This morning I bought a trip of push-cart water at N2,000 which before was N800,' he said.
Ibrahim linked the scarcity to the total power blackout being experienced in the city in the last 48 hours.
'Maybe the water scarcity is because of the total power blackout in the city. I think there is no power to pump water at the water treatment plant,' he added.
Another resident, a mother, said she had to trek long distances in search of water to cook for her children and carry out domestic chores.
'I can't afford to buy the water, the price is too high. The only option for me is to go out and search for it here at a car wash because they are using boreholes,' she lamented.
Areas affected by the scarcity include Mairi, London Ciki, Gwange and Custom Area, among others in the metropolis.
Musa Adam, a water vendor who uses a push-cart, confirmed the price increase.
According to him, they used to sell a trip at N800 but now sell between N1,500 and N2,000.
'We increased the price because we couldn't get water from the places we used to get it before. Now we have to go a long distance to get water, and even those selling water to us have increased their price from N200 to N400,' he said.
Meanwhile, the Borno State Government has reacted to the power outage.
The ministry of transport and energy said the current power interruption in parts of the state was caused by a setback on the grid transmission network serving the state's electricity supply cluster.
It added that the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant is also down due to a technical fault and is currently undergoing repairs.
The ministry said the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in collaboration with Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) is working to restore normal supply soonest.
It appealed to residents to remain vigilant and help safeguard electricity installations in their communities, while appreciating their patience and assuring that restoration efforts are ongoing.