The saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ is currently at play in Abubakar Rimi market at Sabon Gari in Kano as shop owners defied attempts to electrify the popular market after the fire incident that razed about 300 shops three years ago.

Over N2tn worth of goods were said to have been consumed in the late night inferno in the market which was believed to be caused by electrical fault from the national grid.

The incident, our correspondents learnt, had put many out of business even as others ended in jail over their inability to pay suppliers of the items consumed in the inferno.

Three years after, even when the affected portions of the market were reconstructed, Daily Trust on Sunday gathered the market is yet to be connected to the national grid, as marketers opted for independent power vendors known in local parlance as ‘Merger’.

This initiative, which had been operational for years in some parts of Kano, including markets and residential areas, became more popular recently following what consumers described as drastic decline in the public power supply about four years ago.

It was learnt the Merger system has served and saved many businesses in the city from total collapse at the height of the recent economic meltdown.

Under this arrangement, individual investors supply electricity through high voltage generators to cluster of shops during business hours on payment of some token not exceeding N1000 per shop.

Some of the shop owners who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday said they were more comfortable under the new arrangement, describing it as more efficient and cost-saving.

According to Alhaji Ali Bagadaza, the Chairman Sabon Gari United Traders Association, the new system served the market better and was safer.

“We, in this market, have had cases of fire incidences and most of these cases were as a result of power failure and the worse experience of these fire incidences was the one that happened about three years ago, in which over N2tn worth of goods were destroyed.

“After the market was refurbished, we decided to opt for this merger which had been operational in the past. Under this system, we are confident of our safety because the light will be put on in the morning and put off in the evening during the business hours,” he said.

He said their shops were usually powered from 10am to 6pm daily on weekly payment of N1000 to the power vendors, Daily Trust reports.

Our correspondents observed that even with the Merger system on ground, majority of the shops were rather using solar energy to power their shops. On enquiry, however, Alhaji Bagadaza, said the solar power equipment were installed at the instance of the Federal Government, explaining that it was the future plan for the electrification of the market.

Bagadaza who is also the chairman of the committee overseeing the installation of the solar systems, disclosed that so far over 15, 000 shops had already been electrified with solar energy.

He described it as the most efficient, cost-effective and environmental friendly.

“Our ultimate plan for this market is to install solar systems in all shops and so far we have installed over 15, 000, that I think could be the reason why subscription to Merger has declined recently. With the solar system, which is more environmental friendly and cheaper at the same time the issue of fire incidents will be addressed,” he said.

He said currently there were about 20 pieces of 200KVA power generating sets serving over 8000 shops in the market under the Merger arrangment.

A subscriber of the system, Malam Umar Alhassan Kofar Wambai, expressed satisfaction with the arrangement, saying it served his shops better.

“Under merger, you pay based on the number of bulbs you use. In smaller shops, you can have three or four, but here I use more than 30 bulbs and I pay N400 daily which is much cheaper than using a personal generator. I am hoping that soon, if the solar system improves, I will switch to it but for now we are very okay with Merger,” he added.

Sharing his experience to Daily Trust on Sunday, one of the investors in the Merger business, Malam Hamza Mailambu, who is a professional electrical engineer, said his investment in the business was not driven by quest for profit but to introduce the shop owners to the cheaper and efficient way of running their businesses.

He, however, expressed concerns over the attitude of some customers in fulfilling their side of the deal by failing to ensure prompt payment of their dues for power they consumed.

“For over 10 years, we have been in this business and the people have been very appreciative of what we are doing, but you know dealing with human beings could be very difficult sometimes. The only challenge we are having is in the collection of our bills. Sometimes, some of the customers do not want to respond but because we are out to help we cannot disconnect them,” he said.

Mailambu said he supplied light from 10am to 6pm to over 600 shops at N200 per shop weekly.

On his part, Malam Ibrahim Maiungwa who is the Customer Liaison Officer, Rensource/Sabongari Energy Solution, the company responsible for the installation of solar power equipment in the market, described the frequent incidences of fire outbreaks in the markets across the state as an unfortunate situation, urging the shop owners to be conscious of how they use electricity in their shops.

He said the solar alternative was initiated by the state government to curb the recurrent cases in the market, saying the plan would extend to other markets in the state metropolis.

“After the fire incident that occurred here that was related to electrical fault, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje provided us with solar systems, with a view to address the menace of fire disaster in the market. Since this system started working, we have seen how effective it is and I can tell you that it is the best alternative here, because on this system they have what they call manometer that trips off light automatically in the event of any electrical fault thereby stopping anything that might result in fire outbreak.

“Another advantage is that under Merger, sometimes you have to wait until 11am before they put on the light, but with the solar system, even before you come to shop, the light is already on. On this, I am advising anyone that is not on this system to endeavour to register because it is most effective and cheap compared to any other system,” he added.