BY PRINCE EJAKPOMEVI
AMID the worsening decline in electricity supply, residents of Okpanam community in Oshimili North Local Government Area, have expressed growing frustration over the persistent lack of electricity in the area, calling on authorities to urgently intervene and address the situation.
The residents lamented that the prolonged outages have continued to disrupt daily activities, affect small businesses, and worsen living conditions in the community, urging swift action to restore a stable electricity supply.
Addressing our correspondent, a civil servant, Mr Jude Keseina described the situation as outrageous, lamenting that residents have been left in darkness for too long.
“This is making it almost a month since we have had light, and it is getting frustrating. I know how much I spend on fuel for my generator, so my family won’t be kept in the darkness, and it’s not funny at all,” he said.
“Small businesses are the ones that are hit the worst. They are the ones who depend on electricity to run their shops and are spending way more to keep their business running. It is becoming increasingly unbearable for residents,” he added.
Another civil servant, Mrs Charity Innone, said that the situation has made it nearly impossible for her to preserve perishable food items in her home.
“I can no longer buy items like tomatoes and fresh fish with the hope of preserving them when I get home,” she said. “At times I resort to using my generator, but when I cannot afford fuel, the food items end up getting spoiled,” she added.
Also speaking, a barber, Mrs Gift Okeke, disclosed that the persistent power outage has significantly affected her business, noting that she now spends nothing less than ₦15,000 daily to keep her shop running, which decreases her profit margin.
Similarly, Mr Andy Okafor, who operates a dry-cleaning service in the area, lamented that the persistent power outages have seriously affected his business operations.
“My business deeply depends on electricity to power the washing machines, pressing iron and other equipment, but the regular power outages have made me depend on my generator, and in this economy, buying fuel almost every day has greatly affected me financially, “ he said.
