Ebonyi Communities Report Prolonged Power Outage, Economic Hardship

Residents of Obodoaba and Ikpele villages in the Obeagu community of Ishielu Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, have raised concerns over a prolonged electricity outage they say has lasted for about five years, following the removal of a faulty transformer by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

According to the communities, the outage began after Obeagu Transformer 1 developed a fault and was taken away by EEDC officials. Despite repeated appeals and financial contributions by residents, electricity supply has not been restored, affecting economic activities and daily life in the area.

A community representative, Mr Calaminus Ogbuabor, said the lack of power has severely affected small businesses that rely on electricity, forcing some residents to relocate in search of better living conditions. He noted that festive periods have become especially difficult, as many households cannot afford the cost of running generators due to rising fuel prices.

Ogbuabor alleged that the community met all financial requirements requested by EEDC, including payments exceeding ₦900,000, deducted from accumulated electricity bills, based on assurances that a new 300KVA transformer would be installed. He claimed, however, that an older 200KVA transformer was eventually provided instead, which reportedly failed within a month due to overload.

He further alleged that the original 300KVA transformer, which was initially provided through government intervention, was removed and reassigned to another location. According to him, EEDC later informed the community that the faulty transformer had been repaired but requested a full drum of transformer oil before reinstalling it, a request he said has not led to any action more than a year later.

Other residents said they have visited EEDC offices in Nsukka and Eha-Amufu, under the MainPower subsidiary, on several occasions without any resolution. They added that the prolonged outage has led to the closure of businesses such as welding workshops, barber shops, cold rooms and other small-scale enterprises.

Some residents also expressed dissatisfaction over the continued issuance of estimated bills despite the absence of electricity supply, calling for greater accountability and improved service delivery.

The communities are now appealing to the Ebonyi State Government, the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and other relevant authorities to intervene. They maintain that a 500KVA transformer would be required to adequately serve both villages.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Head of Corporate Communications at EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report, as calls and text messages sent to him had not been returned.