World News for Students of English

26-11-2021 15:00

During a long-running battle against militants, the economy of Nigeria’s city of Maidugri is struggling after militants destroyed the power lines, and cut the northeastern city off from the country’s power grid.

Maidugri is the capital of Borno State, the epicenter of the 12-year battle against militants. In January, militants bombed the transmission lines, cutting the city’s power. People fixed them and destroyed them again within two days. The next month, a repair vehicle hit an explosive device, killing one soldier and injuring three workers.

The lack of power is stifling the city’s economy and luring the people who cannot earn money into working with militants who are just outside the city. Local businesses are now dependent on expensive and polluting generators. Officers had removed explosive devices from the roads to improve security, which would allow repairs. A Nigerian oil company has also promised to build a gas-fired power plant to stop the dependence on transmission lines.

Difficult words: epicenter (the central point of something, typically a difficult or unpleasant situation), stifle (to prevent from happening or continuing), lure (to tempt someone by offering pleasure or reward).

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