By joshua Power To The People: Senator Karimi Takes On AEDC Again Over 10-year Blackout In Yagba East
By Our Reporter
When Senator Sunday Steve Karimi assumed office as Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, he made a solemn pledge to put the wellbeing of his people above everything else. Three years after, that promise is not just a slogan. It is visible in bridges reconstructed, roads rehabilitated, schools renovated, boreholes sunk, scholarships awarded, empowerment programs rolled out, and in the consistent, fearless advocacy for his constituents in the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly. Once again, the Senator has demonstrated that commitment.
In a decisive move, Senator Karimi has written again to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, demanding urgent action to restore electricity supply to Isanlu and other communities in Yagba East Local Government Area. The letter, dated September 22, 2026, is a follow-up to an earlier letter dated September 23, 2025, in which the Senator had requested a strategic meeting with AEDC management to find a lasting solution to the perennial blackout in Yagba East. Despite sustained liaison between his office and the company, the meeting has yet to materialise.
Senator Karimi expressed deep concern over what he described as an unacceptable and economically crippling situation. According to him, residents of Yagba East have endured total or near-total blackout for not less than 10 years, affecting more than 40 communities with an estimated population of over 200,000 people. It is important to liaise with your office to find a lasting solution to this ugly development that has hampered the development of the Local Government Area and worsened living conditions, the Senator stated.
The implications are dire. For a decade, small businesses that depend on power such as welders, barbers, tailors, cold-room operators and ICT centres have been forced to close or run on expensive diesel. Students cannot study at night. Health centres operate without power to preserve vaccines and drugs. The local economy has been stifled.
Senator Karimi’s intervention on Yagba East power outage is consistent with his style of representation that is responsive, practical and people-centred. Since his election, the Kogi West Senator has become renowned for interventions that touch the grassroots directly. In infrastructure, he reconstructed the strategic Pakuta Bridge linking Aiyegunle-Gbede in Ijumu LGA to Kiri Kingdom in Kabba-Bunu, reviving trade and farm-to-market movement for hundreds of communities. He has facilitated road grading, culverts and erosion control works across the seven LGAs of Kogi West. In education, he has undertaken massive renovation of dilapidated classroom blocks, distributed learning materials, and instituted a scholarship scheme for indigent but brilliant students across Kogi West. In water and health, he has sunk dozens of solar-powered boreholes in water-scarce communities, supported primary healthcare centres with equipment and drugs, and facilitated medical outreaches.
In empowerment and economic development, thousands of constituents including women, youths, farmers and artisans have benefited from his empowerment programmes, ranging from grants, farm inputs, sewing machines, tricycles and other small business support tools.
In legislative duties, Senator Karimi has been vocal on national issues affecting Kogi State and the country, while using his oversight functions to attract federal presence to Kogi West. It is therefore not surprising that his constituents describe him as Talk and Do, a lawmaker whose words are matched with action.
Stakeholders in Yagba East have commended Senator Karimi for refusing to let the 10-year blackout become normalized. They note that electricity is not a luxury but the foundation for economic growth, security and improved standard of living. For Isanlu, the headquarters of Yagba East and a major commercial hub, the restoration of power would mean revival of its vibrant markets, growth of small and medium enterprises and better service delivery by public institutions.
Senator Karimi has made it clear that the people of Yagba East cannot wait another year in darkness. He is asking AEDC to come to the table immediately for a practical, time-bound plan to restore power.
For a man whose politics is defined by service, this is yet another battle for his people and like many before it, his constituents trust that he will not relent until light returns to Yagba East.