Boko Haram: How Yola Electricity Installations In 143 Towns Were Bombed

When Boko Haram took almost 6 years to do multidimensional havoc to installations of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), many people predicted that that was the end of power supply in the North East part of Nigeria.

When so many people predicted doom for power supply in an area that had seen so much colossal damages done to power as installations such as transmission lines which we’re bombed, sub stations, burnt and pulled down the situation was indeed gory and the picture daunting in disgust.

Many people said YEDC was finally ruined, but when the Federal Ministry of Power transferred an egalitarian man, Engineer Baba Umara Mustapha as the Managing Director of the YEDC, he saw the situation and did not run away but he saw it as a challenge that must be surmounted.

Engineer Mustapha took over the Company totally in a state of disrepair and disheveled but didn’t complaine, instead he took a cursory look at the monumental damage and began how best to restore the conditions to normalcy.

Many towns like Biu, Chibok, Machina, Garkida, Dapchi, Kukawa, Gashua, Diffa,Geidam, Monguno, Garunda, Bosso, Gidimbari, Gubio, Kareta, Ngamdu, Mafa, Dalori, Beni sheik, Damasak, Warabe, Gwoza, Waleri, Doro Gowon, Gambaru, Kala Bagye, Zundur, Gajibo, Mastari, Bama, Mabaraka, Dipchari, Bezge,Gindimbari, Dalori, Zilum, Farto,Bita, Takombere, Maska, Kalulua, Hong, Mubi, Madagali, Michika, Uba, Gella, Askira, Damboa, konduga, Kingoa, Bornu Yassu, Sabsabwa, Dikwa, Gwoza, Kafin Hausa, Yebi Jemi, Kalulua, Anomo, Leje, etc, we’re shot down due to serious damage done by Boko Haram to the installations.

Many staff of the YEDC where missing till now and so many places were declared not reachable due to the sporadic fighting by insurgents in the areas.

So many others we’re all together abandoned and Boko Haram moved to occupy such towns damaging every federal Government facilities like electricity installations, roads, agricultural establishment, and educational institutions.

It was indeed appalling for the new Managing Director Engineer Mustapha to begin but he braved the odds and started from where many people had said it was an impossibility to reconnect light around the North East.

He had trained his staff that dodged bombs and bullets to climb high tension wires in the most dangerous places to reconnect destroyed installations and put smiles on people.

Millions of polls were burnt or pulled down but the picture is becoming rosy now because of the brave insightful intelligence of the MD who took on the repairs and re- installations of damaged facilities in almost 43 towns that we’re affected by six years of lawlessness in the North East by one of the worst insurgents group in the World.

They damaged buildings, YEDC offices, cut communications and destroyed anything and killed recklessly and YEDC facilities, really vagrantly, suffered under them in a frightening dimension which made many to give up hope that power supply will ever resumed in the North East region.

That is because the cost of installations of facilities was too high while cost of man hour and danger to lives was becoming unbearable but this didn’t give any challenge to the management team led by Engr. Mustapha because they had to go to the bush with heavily armed soldiers guiding YEDC staff as they took high risk to re connected towns destroyed and abandoned by Boko Haram.

What seemed a terrible nightmare to others became a successful story as Engr. Mustapha turned the situation around for the better bringing smiles unto faces that had been glooming for nearly a decade in the North East part of Nigeria.

Nigeria is very fortunate to have people like Engr. Mustapha who are not daunted by sheer weight of challenges posed by insurgents and other natural occurrences but they mobilized men and materials to counter any challenge that arises in the course of service delivery to the people.

Altogether, the zonal public relations officer of YEDC, Mr. Kingley said more than 143 major towns and villages were affected and the YEDC had to embark upon major repairs to bring the confidence of the people back to the establishment under Engr Mustapha.

Today the North East of Nigeria have heaved a sigh of relief because of one man’s determination nature and sense of belonging to change the cause of history for the better and the result is restoration of power supply to villages and towns that we’re no go areas at the height of Boko Haram militancy in the North East part of Nigeria.

We have seen the devastation of power supply in almost all the 143 major towns in the region and we have also witnessed the speedy transformation done by Engr. Mustapha and his team at Yola Discos within a short period of time.

It was like achieving the 8th wonder of the World when everyone was on the run in the North East but Mustapha surmounted all daunting challenges to achieve the desired results we have now.

Apart from Maiduguri, the whole of Borno State, Yobe state and part of Adamawa state was devastated by insurgents and YEDC installations bombed or burnt by Boko Haram.

Altogether, 143 towns and villages were affected but power supply is now at most 80% in the North East this is the untiring efforts of Engr. Mustapha who have remained single-minded, ambitious to transform the area and bring hope to the people.

Apart from massive transformation of power installations in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, the state of Taraba has also seen to the hard work of Engr. Mustapha in the rural area of Mambilla in Taraba State. Since his assumption of duty in the north east power supply has become regular and prepaid metering have been distributed to communities in Borno, Taraba, Adamawa and Yobe states.

By Comrade Barnabas Manyam