Residents of Onu-Agu village in Amechi Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, have appealed to Governor Peter Mbah and MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited to restore electricity to the community after more than three months of blackout.
The residents said the prolonged outage had disrupted businesses and increased household expenses, particularly the cost of fuelling generators. Amechi is within Enugu South Local Government Area.
The residents staged a peaceful protest at the residence of the Enugu State Commissioner for Local Government and Rural Development, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, an indigene of the community. The protesters were led by former Secretary of Enugu South Local Government Area, Hon. Emmanuel Ike Orji, alongside community stakeholder, Hon. Dave Agbo.
The protesters said the community’s ageing transformer was severely overloaded and no longer capable of meeting the electricity needs of the growing population. They appealed to Governor Mbah and MainPower to replace it with a modern, higher-capacity transformer.
“Our people are suffering heavily under this prolonged blackout. The existing transformer is outdated and completely overloaded. We are appealing directly to His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, and MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited to replace this breakdown-prone unit with a modern, high-capacity transformer so our community can breathe again.”
The Chairman of the Electricity Committee, Hon. Goddy Edeh, said the community had already formally notified MainPower in writing about the outage, after which an inspection team visited the area. He said the absence of any subsequent action prompted the residents to stage the peaceful protest.
“We have written to MainPower Electricity Distribution and their inspection team came to assess the situation, but since then, nothing has been done. The darkness continues, which is why we decided to seek government intervention.”
Receiving the protesters, Commissioner Ogbodo commended them for the peaceful and orderly manner in which they presented their grievances. He assured them that their concerns would be conveyed to Governor Mbah and the relevant authorities, while promising that the government would look into the matter.
“I commend you for the peaceful and civilised manner in which you have conducted this demonstration. I have heard your cries, and I am assuring this community that your urgent plea for light and economic relief will be delivered directly to Governor Peter Mbah and the relevant power sector authorities.”
Ogbodo also praised the protesters for preventing the demonstration from being hijacked by hoodlums, stressing that the peaceful nature of the exercise reflected the community’s commitment to seeking a solution through dialogue.
However, speaking on behalf of the Network Manager of MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited, Awkunanaw District, the company’s Safety Officer, Engr. Vincent Okeke, said the company had not received formal notification specifically concerning the reported outage.
Okeke acknowledged the community’s grievances and advised the residents to submit a formal petition to enable the company’s technical team to assess the situation and take appropriate action.
“We acknowledge the grievances of the Onu-Agu community. However, MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited was not officially notified of this specific outage. I advise the community leaders to immediately put down their grievances in a formal petition so our technical team can assess the site and address the issue promptly.”
The community, however, maintained that its Electricity Committee had already communicated the problem to MainPower in writing and that the company’s inspection visit followed that correspondence. It said the failure to receive further action after the inspection was the immediate reason for the peaceful protest.