10 Years of Blackout: Ancient Town of Afikpo in Ebonyi Turns into a Ghost Town

It has been ten years since the residents of the ancient town of Afikpo, located in Afikpo Local Government Area of ​​Ebonyi State, have been enjoying public electricity.

They were completely cut off from the national power grid.

In their opinion, this situation has brought untold hardships and destroyed their economic situation.

Problem

The first power supply in Afikpo occurred in 1976, and according to reports, the then small population of the town had constant access to electricity.

However, as the population grew, the energy infrastructure became overloaded and began to fail.

In a bid to find a lasting solution to the electricity problem in Afikpo and Ebonyi South senatorial constituencies where most communities face similar power supply problems, the then senator representing the area, Anyim Ude, in 2011, approached the state government for the construction of a 133kVA substation at Amasiri, a suburb of Afikpo town.

While work on the substation progressed at a snail’s pace, the existing power infrastructure in the area collapsed about 10 years ago, plunging the entire local government and the neighbouring commune of Edda into permanent darkness.

Criminals took advantage of the situation by destroying and stealing high-voltage cables and other electrical parts, making it even more difficult to restore power.

Afikpo town, from which the local government is named, is the second largest urban centre in the state after Abakaliki, the state capital.

However, for more than a decade, the region has been facing serious economic decline and collapse due to the lack of public electricity supply.

Highlighting this, the Member of Parliament representing Afikpo East Constituency, Mr Ukie Ezeali, said he spends over N3 million on purchasing fuel to run businesses in the area.

He expressed regret that similar businesses had closed down due to this situation, which had worsened the unemployment situation in the region.

He added that the lack of power supply had a negative impact on the socio-economic life of the residents of the area.

“Our people are being forced to repeat the life of darkness they led in ancient times.

“It is recorded that Afikpo received permanent light in 1976, but unfortunately, the permanent source of electricity disappeared more than 10 years ago.

“This had a devastating impact on the city’s development in all areas of life.

“This has affected the educational development of our children as they no longer have the opportunity to read at night like we did in the old days due to the lack of electricity.

“It has also led to the total collapse of businesses in the area. Businesses are dependent on energy. Starting and running a successful business in Afikpo is almost an impossible endeavor.

“This has led to low employment and has resulted in huge poverty in the area. Acquiring skills is no longer interesting for young people because they cannot survive without electricity.

“Existing companies are not gaining customers because their products are more expensive, because it costs them more to use generators.

“As a result, customers will prefer to go to Abakaliki or even Onueke to buy products at cheaper prices and transport them back to Afikpo.

“As a result, most small businesses went bankrupt and many fell into a coma.

“The city of Afikpo, which is an ancient, beautiful city, is now abandoned and looks like a ghost town,” he said.

The lawmaker also noted that the security situation in the area has worsened due to the lack of electricity, especially at night, as criminals take advantage of the darkness to carry out their nefarious activities.

He expressed regret that over a decade later, the substation that was supposed to permanently solve the problem of power outages in the area and most of the Ebonyi South senatorial district is yet to be completed.

Controversy over N208 million Ebonyi government fund

In February, Governor Francis Nwifuru, after receiving a note from Mr Ezeala, approved the release of N208 million for the upgrading of transformers, supply of new ones and other ancillary works.

This was to facilitate the return of temporary power from Nkalagu via high-voltage lines. However, six months later, the case has veered from one controversy to another.

A week ago, at a city council meeting convened by community elders, the legislator ridiculed the ministry for botching the project.

Addressing the people, Mr. Ezeali said the governor was doing everything to find a permanent solution to the power outage.

He noted, however, that the ministry had not taken any action to complete the repair work on the transformers.

He accused the commissioner and the ministry of using money approved by the governor to restore power to Afikpo, which has been without electricity for almost a decade.

Legislator angry because he was denied a contract – Commissioner

However, Energy Commissioner Peter Ogeali, in a briefing, accused the legislator, Mr Ezeali, of taking vendetta against him and the ministry because he was not awarded the work contract.

According to him, Mr Ezeali had repeatedly come to him and asked to be awarded the contract because he was the author of the note that led to the payment of the money.

Mr Ogeali explained that since the ministry had received the approval, it had selected contractors with the right qualifications to carry out the project, working with qualified ministry staff to ensure that the job would be done well.

He noted that he advised the legislator to talk to the governor as only he can order the ministry to award him the contract.

The commissioner further accused the legislator of returning at a later date and asked him to divide the money in half, which he also refused.

He said: “We strongly believe that he simply wanted to discredit the Ministry in the eyes of his people and show that he did more than other stakeholders because there is nothing about the release of funds and feedback on the project that he was not fully aware of.

“This is so to the extent that as a legislator, although not a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy, Ukie Ezeali as a representative of the people had the exclusive privilege of being invited to participate in the proceedings of the Committee when it visited the Ministry for oversight purposes to conduct investigations into the said energy project.

“The committee was reasonably satisfied with the manner and method in which the project was properly carried out.

“Therefore, when a supposed leader of his class and caliber speaks of matters pertaining to government and management as if it were a mere affair in a beer hall, his people should fear that there may be many devils lurking in the details with which he bombards the public.

“Besides, apart from the separate roles of the executive and legislative branches, he knows that all the key people handling the project are from his hometown and Afikpo local government.

“Even more significant is the fact that the Governor has directed the Deputy Governor, Princess Patricia Obila, to supervise and ensure the proper implementation of the project once the funds have been transferred to the Ministry.

“That is why it is a cliché to inform the world that we know of Uki’s deep-seated reluctance to pursue this project, namely that he very much wanted to pursue it as the sole contractor, and perhaps the manager.

“However, he was turned down because the Ministry wanted and ultimately found someone with more knowledge and experience in the energy sector who could bring the project to a perfect conclusion, and that is exactly what they did.

“Knowing his own personal antics at the meeting and being aware that the key figures handling the project are mostly men from his hometown of Afikpo, why did Hon. Ukie Ezeali not ask the contractors and staff of the Ministry who hail from his hometown of Afikpo to also be present at the meeting to at least explain the role of the Ministry in the unfounded accusations he made against him about the said released fund?”

Why hasn’t the power been restored?

The ministry explained that the responsibility for transmitting power from one station to another rests with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and also with Discos, which is responsible for delivering power to the installed transformer substations.

“Therefore, it is not the Ministry of Energy that is delaying the supply of power to Afikpo, as the works ordered by the governor have already been completed by the ministry.

“The delay in the supply of electricity to Afikpo and some parts of Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone (Onicha, Isu, Uburu Okposi etc) is due to the relocation of high tension power lines between Nkalagu and Ntezi along the Enugu – Abakaliki Expressway and the devastated section of the grid on the Okposi axis.

“Government at all levels has been continuously trying to resolve these issues as the contractor in charge of the 133kVA Amasiri Power Station has agreed to the modification request to compensate those affected by the said relocation and restore full power supply not only to Afikpo but other neighbouring communities in Ebonyi South,” the commissioner said.

The legislator denies the accusations

In response, the legislator denied that he had ever demanded that the project or any part of the money be awarded to him.

He noted that as an indigenous person who feels the pain of the people and knows the importance of this project, he could not do this.

He also noted that all his businesses are located in the area and that he spends a lot of money to power the generators, adding that he will not take any action that might sabotage the project.

He described the Commissioner’s accusations as cheap blackmail, noting that the Commissioner had been known to engage in such activities in the past.

Ebonyi government steps in

Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Executive Council has joined the fray.

Information Commissioner Jude Okporo in a statement said the Council took time to review the social media frenzy surrounding the Afikpo Light project and the issues surrounding it.

“After intense and exhaustive deliberations, the Council decided to inform the general public that the works to restore light to Afikpo, contrary to misinformation being spread in some media outlets, have been successfully completed and are only awaiting connection to the National Grid upon the completion of the construction of the Amasiri Power Substation belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) from which the state government was assured that the works would be completed before the end of the year.

“The public may be interested to know that as part of the negotiations with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the state government has approved payment for the redirection of electricity pylons affected by the construction of the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Trans-Sahara dual expressway,” he stated.

Community pleads with FG and TCN to complete substation

Meanwhile, the Afikpo community has appealed to the Federal Government and the Nigerian Transmission Company to urgently take steps to complete the construction of the substation, which would provide a lasting solution to the electricity problem and save the local government from further economic collapse.

The community appealed for help after a town hall meeting where they praised Governor Nwifuru for his efforts to resolve the electricity problem.

The community praised the federal government for its efforts so far and called on TCN to redouble its efforts to ensure the project is completed before the end of the year.