Abakaliki residents, businesses fume over 3-month blackout

Residents and business owners in parts of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, have decried a three-month blackout that has crippled commercial and social activities in the area.

The outage, which began in May following the breakdown of the Udemezue 11kv transformer on Urochukwu Street due to overload, has plunged several neighborhoods including Urochukwu, Chukwuma Ofoke, Obaji Streets, Ebebe Junction, and parts of Ogbaga Road into darkness.

Restaurants, hotels, salons, fashion outlets, and other small businesses say they have incurred huge losses, as many now rely heavily on generators to stay afloat.

Mr. Michael Ani, a restaurant operator at Ebebe Junction, described the situation as “horrifying,” lamenting that businesses were being wrecked with no clear word from the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

Similarly, a cellphone repairer, Elias Nwaiwu, said most of his customers had deserted him due to high service costs caused by fuel expenses.

A barber, Chris Iteshi, explained that his shop was forced to double its haircut charge from ₦500 to ₦1,000 because of generator costs, leading to a decline in patronage. Families have also been badly hit, with many complaining of food spoilage due to lack of refrigeration.

A staff member of Cardinal Hotels on Ogbaga Road said the facility was spending heavily on diesel to keep operations running, describing the burden as unsustainable.

The residents said each household had contributed about ₦20,000 towards fixing the transformer but accused the EEDC of handling repairs too slowly.

They threatened to stage a protest within a week if power was not restored.

Responding, Mr. Cyprian Nwankwo, EEDC’s Business Manager for Abakaliki District, said repairs on the transformer had been completed and that it was currently undergoing testing before reconnection.

He appealed for patience, assuring residents that electricity supply would soon be restored.

Efforts to reach the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, were unsuccessful.