Residents of Giri Shinka in Gwagwalada have accused the chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Abubakar Jibrin Giri, of abandoning part of the community after a controversial transformer project allegedly left hundreds of residents in darkness for almost a year.
According to residents who spoke with Chronicles Reporters, the crisis began around April last year when the only functional transformer serving parts of the community suddenly broke down, plunging the area into darkness.
The transformer, locals say, had earlier been donated to the community after years of appeals for electricity supply.
Following the outage, community members including indigenous residents living around the university quarters and non-indigenous residents living behind the university area — approached Chairman Giri for assistance.
Residents said the chairman promised to resolve the crisis by providing two transformers for the community.
One transformer, they said, was to be installed close to the mosque near the university gate to serve the indigenous population, while the second transformer would serve the area largely occupied by non-indigenous residents around the iron bridge and the Deeper Life Church axis.
However, nearly a year after the project began, residents claim only one part of the promise has been fulfilled.
Investigations by Chronicles Reporters revealed that the contract for the transformers, alongside solar streetlight installation projects, was reportedly awarded to a company identified as Alhayaks and Sons Ventures.
According to community sources, the contractor supplied two transformers as stipulated in the contract. However, residents allege that the quality of the equipment differed drastically.
They claim that while a brand-new transformer was installed in the section dominated by indigenous residents, the second transformer meant for other parts of the community was allegedly a refurbished unit.
Residents further alleged that the refurbished transformer was initially installed with poor earthing and substandard armored cables, which reportedly failed technical testing.
Following complaints, the contractor later returned to replace the earthing and armored cables. But despite those corrections, the transformer has reportedly never been energized or supplied electricity since installation.
As a result, residents living from the Deeper Life Church axis through the Iron Bridge down to the back of the university quarters say they have lived without electricity for nearly one year.
A contractor involved in the project allegedly told community members that he has been unable to resolve the problem due to lack of payment.
According to residents, the contractor claimed he has not been paid any money by the council since executing multiple projects, including:
• Transformer installation in Almahaz,
• Solar streetlight installation in Giri, and
• The transformer installation in Giri Shinka.
The contractor reportedly said he lacks the funds to procure a brand-new transformer to replace the allegedly faulty refurbished one.
Tensions in the community have worsened amid allegations that the project was influenced by ethnic favoritism.
Some residents alleged that a relative of the chairman, identified as Yaksman, introduced the contractor and was involved in supervising parts of the project.
According to residents, the operational engineer working with the contractor allegedly collaborated with intermediaries to supply substandard materials for the transformer meant for the non-indigenous community.
These claims, however, could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report.
Residents also raised concerns about the solar streetlight project awarded under the same phase.
Community members told Chronicles Reporters that contractors had earlier dug holes and placed concrete foundations across parts of the area for solar light installation.
However, the project was allegedly abandoned midway.
Today, several locations reportedly still have empty holes or abandoned concrete bases where solar poles were supposed to stand, leaving residents without the promised lighting infrastructure.
For residents living around the Iron Bridge, Deeper Life Church axis, and behind the university quarters, the situation has become increasingly frustrating.
Many say they have endured almost a year without electricity, relying on generators or living entirely in darkness.
“This is not just about electricity,” one resident told Chronicles Reporters. “It is about fairness. One side of the community has power, while the other side has been left abandoned.”
Residents are now calling for an independent investigation into the transformer project, including:
• The procurement process
• The quality of materials supplied
• The alleged use of refurbished equipment
• And the stalled solar streetlight project.
Community leaders argue that public projects funded with taxpayers’ money must serve all residents equally regardless of ethnicity or background.
Efforts to obtain official comments from the leadership of the Gwagwalada Area Council and representatives of Alhayaks and Sons Ventures were unsuccessful as of press time.
Chronicles Reporters will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more facts emerge.