Bayelsa Residents Groan Under 10 Days Power Black Out
By Amos Okioma
LAGOS JANUARY 27TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Residents of the Yenagoa and it’s environs have continued to groan under a continued black out and power outage that has lasted over ten days.
More worrisome to residents is the decision of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) to keep mum over the continued black out.
Some members of the Association of Bulk Bill Electricity Consumers (ABBEC) in the state has decried the deteriorating state of power supply in the state.
The group, in a statement made available to NewsRangers in Yenagoa, lamented that the situation grew from bad to worse immediately after PHEDC slammed a fifty percent tariff increase on Bayelsans sometimes in July last year.
“Few months after a fifty percent tariff increase by the PHEDC, power supply has dwindled to an all time low. Yet, at the end of the month, you expect the people to pay for electricity which they neither see nor consume, how can that be possible?”, the statement queried.
In the statement which was signed by its state chairman, Mr. Ebi Ozegbe, ABBEC expressed worry that its members were losing the confidence to face residents of the state to demand for electricity bills when the people were wallowing in darkness in the face of fuel scarcity.
ABBEC said it was considering state wide protest to register their dissatisfaction if the dwindling electricity situation in the state persists.
The group used the forum to call for the immediate removal of Mr. Moses Achi as the Business Manager of PHEDC over what it described as gross incompetence.
The association noted that a plethora of criminal activities occur freely under the watchful eyes of the BM ranging from none remittance of monies paid to staff of PHEDC, placing of transformers on zero billing and be secretly collecting monies them, issuance of fake receipts and stamps, illegal connections and disconnections among others.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Power, Chief Partner Jim-Ogbolo has confirmed, during the ongoing ministerial briefing to mark the 6th anniversary of Governor Seriake Dickson administration, that the ongoing power outage was caused by vandalisation of power station by some irate youths from Ahoada community in Rivers State.
Jim-Ogbolo,blamed the current power outage on vandalism on the 132KVA high transmission line by some youths in Ahoada area and a faulty 40MVA transformer at the Gbarantoru sub station.
He however assured that power would soon be restored as efforts are on to rectify the problem.
On the score card of the State Power ministry,Chief Partner Jim-Ogbolo, said in the last 6 years government awarded 48 projects, out of which 23 have been completed while 25 are ongoing.
He also enumerated achievements in the sector to include, construction of a new 33 KVA sub transmission line from Ogbia to Nembe, Ikibiri-Angiama 33 KVA, upgrading of electricity supply in Akipelai community.
Others are, Okpoama/Diema electrification project, rehabilitation of Nun River 33KV feeder to serve Southern Ijaw local government headquarters including the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe.
The Managing Director of the Bayelsa Electricity Company, Engr. Olice Kemenanabo gave the assurance on Thursday while showcasing the activities of the Ministry of Power since the inception of the present administration.
Engr. Kemenanabo said efforts are being put in place towards achieving the target, which include, upgrading of existing electricity transmission stations from 40 to 90 mega watts as well as ensure that the second mobile transformer functions optimally.
“We have upgraded the transmission from 40 to 90 MVA, we also want to work on the second mobile transformer to make sure that we have a second transmission station that will serve the eastern part of Bayelsa, then dedicate the supply from the 90 MVA for the central and western parts of the state.By so doing, the constraints in the sector would be a thing of the past.”
According to him, the mobile transformer will serve as a second transmission station to service the eastern part of the state while the power generated from the 90 mega watts transmission station will be dedicated to cover the central and western parts of Bayelsa.
Engr. Kemenanabo also pointed out that the state government had signed an agreement with a private firm in December last year to provide a 5.26 mega watts power plant to boost power supply.
He explained that the power plant was being provided to service communities in the Agbere-Odoni axis not only to boost social activities but also for the economic emancipation of the area through the proposed industrial park.
Short URL: https://newsrangers.com/?p=2407
Posted by News Rangers
on Jan 27 2018. Filed under National, State.
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