When the lights finally came on Thursday, 19 December, the joy in Kingsgarden and Rigga communities in Gwagwarwa, Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, was unimaginable.
Landlords and traders in the communities lived in darkness for over three years after their transformer broke down due to overload.
Hope was fading until Cool FM, Wazobia FM, and Arewa Radio/Nigeria Info featured the community in its popular weekly community report, a news segment highlighting the struggles of neglected communities, on 20 September.
The voices of Kingsgarden and Rigga residents were broadcast across the state, painting a vivid picture of their suffering.
The radio report caught the attention of Hassan Shehu Hussain, the lawmaker representing Nasarawa Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, who visited the community and donated a brand-new transformer.
The transformer was installed by Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) engineers who worked day and night.
Soon, the long silence of darkness was replaced with the hum of electricity flowing through homes and streets.
When Nigeria Info visited the communities on Monday, the residents' homes and businesses were well-lit. Traders and shop owners who had locked their stores for months had them open.
Maxwell Emmanuel, who has never seen electricity since moving to the community in 2022, stressed that the intervention has brought back hope and dignity to the residents' lives.
Umar Sani Bala, another resident whose welding business was on the verge of collapse, said the power restoration will "boost business activities in the community."
Victoria Jonathan, a mother of four in the community, is happy that she can now preserve food.
On his part, Comrade Godwin Iyaji who spent "thousands on fuel daily” commended Representative Hussain for the transformer donation.
Comrade Iyaji also commended the media.
“I want to thank your radio station for airing our plight because without that we would still be in darkness.
"So, thank you very much, and henceforth I will remain your number one listener,” he said.
