The Nigerian Government has taken the step of cutting off power supplies to the Niger Republic in response to the recent military coup that ousted Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
Niger’s electricity company, Nigelec, disclosed this information on Wednesday, stating that the decision was made following an emergency meeting held by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). During the meeting, sanctions, including freezing utility services, were imposed on the Niger Republic as a consequence of the coup, as reported by Daily Trust.
BBC also reported that the cities of Maradi, Zinder, and Niamey experienced a brief hour of power before facing up to five hours of power outage. Such outages are unusual for Niger, which typically enjoys regular and dependable electricity supply.
Niger Republic relies on Nigeria for 70 percent of its electricity supply, which is generated from the Kainji Dam. The decision to halt power supply to the country is likely to have significant implications for Niger’s citizens and economy, given their dependence on this energy source.