Business and economic operations have significantly declined in Nyangassang Community, a densely populated semi-urban area near the Federal Government Girls’ College and Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar, the capital of Cross River state, following the disconnection of the transformer serving the area by the Calabar Zonal office of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED), resulting in a lack of electricity for several thousand households.
Residents of the area are currently facing a blackout with no immediate solution in sight.
Tribune Online gathered that consumers started experiencing abysmal supply in March due to fluctuating power voltage from the overworked transformer, resulting in damage to numerous electrical devices.
According to a community leader in the area Chief Baron Eyo, “We started experiencing abnormal voltage around March. Sometimes, it will go up to 280kva instead of the normal ratio of 180-220kva, then drop as low as 80kva in one swoop. Findings revealed that the neutral phase from the transformer was burnt and needed to be fixed.
“We called the Zonal Manager of PHED, Mr Gabriel and notified him of the issue. He promised to address it immediately. Each time we called further to remind him, he kept saying the maintenance team was on their way.
“We mobilized ourselves to provide necessary logistic support to the maintenance team to fast-track the repairs but we waited in vain. They never show up.
“When they finally came, they disconnected us completely from the national grid. This is the height of insensitivity because exactly 7 years ago, over twenty residents of this area were electrocuted due to carelessness, negligence and professional incompetency of PHED. This singular act, coming at the commemoration period of that tragedy tantamount to robbing salt on injury.”
Speaking, a youth activist in the area, Etim Asuquo, said “We informed PHED about the fault at the transformer but surprisingly nothing was done for months, rather they came and removed all the fuses from the substation, disconnected the transformer, thereby throwing the whole area into a blackout under the pretext that we are not a seriously minded community, since we couldn’t fund the repairs. Meanwhile, we had raised a substantial amount to assist them since they keep saying their headquarters in Port Harcourt is not funding maintenance works but only interested in revenue generation,” he berated.
Traders and housewives who spoke to our reporter narrated their ordeals arising from the prolonged blackout, lamenting that the setback has compounded the already excruciating economic realities arising from the exorbitant cost of petrol needed to power generating sets for the preservation of food, perishable goods as well as refrigerating of drinks in shops for their daily businesses.
A staff of the PHED who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Our major problem is the fact that for several years now, our headquarters in Port Harcourt keeps sending non-professional, mostly bankers as Zonal Managers. These former bankers lack basic elementary knowledge of electricity. Once you report faults, they hardly act, their priority is revenue generation.
“We have other working transformers closed by, which could have shared the loads to avert the perennial explosions from this transformer popularly called “first transformer”, especially after the electrocution tragedy. But nothing has been done.”
It would be recalled that in April 2017, over 30 football fans were electrocuted when a high-tension cable snapped and landed on the roof of a viewing centre during a Europa League match after heavy explosions from the said transformer.
Police statement indicated seven died while others suffered severe electrical burns. The death toll was contested by the members of the community insisting that over 20 died.
When contacted over the blackout in the Nyagassang community, the Zonal Manager, PHED, Gabriel Modupe, claimed ignorance of the issue, referring our reporter to the Technical Manager, Tom Udofia, who failed to pick up several calls nor respond to SMS.
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