Meat, chicken, fish sellers narrate losses incurred in Kano over power grid collapse

The recent collapse of Nigeria’s power grid in some northern states has left meat, chicken, and fish sellers in Kano in chaos, with losses amounting to millions of naira hitting their businesses hard.

During a visit to the affected traders at Tarauni Market and the Fish Market behind Skyline University both in the Kano metropolis on Thursday, SolaceBase discovered that the vendors rely on refrigerators to store their goods.

With the power outage, they have resorted to using ice blocks, now sold at a steep price of N1,500 to N1,600 each.

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Despite the soaring cost of ice blocks, the traders lamented that for the past three days, they have been unable to get ice blocks at the usual places, leaving them with no option but to accept the devastating situation.

The traders expressed their frustration, describing the losses as unbearable, with many small-scale sellers on the verge of closing their businesses.

The markets are now filled with the offensive smell of spoilt meat and fish, causing further distress.

“I ordered fish worth N100,000, excluding delivery costs. But due to the persistent national grid collapse, I was forced to sell them for N30,000 just to minimize my losses,” said Ashiru Abubakar in a traumatized voice.

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He further explained that he used to store over five cartons of fish in his freezer, but now, after suffering heavy losses, he can only store half a carton out of fear of further losses. “Even now, some customers are returning the fish they bought, saying it has spoiled.”

“So in this situation, we are left with the fish, and we have no option but to take the loss,” Abubakar added, clearly upset.

Unforeseen Power Grid Collapse

Zurkarnaini Murtala Muhammed, another fish seller, described the power outage as completely unexpected, especially after many traders had placed large orders worth millions of naira. “The outage hit right after I filled my freezer with fish,” he said.

“I have lost thousands of naira. I used to store over ten cartons of fish, but now I can only store half a carton, which has drastically reduced my daily income,” Muhammed said.

Babangida Bangis, a meat seller with other outlets at Tarauni Market, estimated his losses at over N500,000. In addition to the losses, he highlighted the rising cost of ice blocks, which has been unavailable for the past three days.

Bangis, who supports two wives, over ten children, and his parents, said the power outage is threatening his livelihood. “This business is my family’s only source of income, and the lack of power is pushing me to the brink.”

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Sleepless Nights Over Losses

Another affected meat seller, Abubakar Indaru, shared how he spent a sleepless night after losing over N200,000 in just one day.

He had searched for ice blocks across various areas, including Galadima, Dakata, and Hotoro, but to no avail.

“I didn’t even eat. I searched all day, and when I finally heard of a place selling ice blocks for N1,600, they were sold out before I could get there.

“Customers brought back the meat I sold to them, saying it has spoiled. That night, I couldn’t sleep or eat. I pray Allah helps us,” Indaru said.

Another meat seller, Abubakar Isma’il, had a similar experience with customers returning spoiled chicken. “The lack of electricity is more dangerous to us than the lack of customers,” he stated.

Najib Shehu Adam, another trader, estimated that losses at Tarauni Market alone to have exceeded five million naira and called on relevant authorities to intervene.