By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
PARTS of Warri metropolis in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State has been thrown into total darkness by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) for over two weeks.
Stonix News reports that Warri, the commercial nerve centre of the state, is enormously rich in oil and gas resources but the people horribly impoverished and incapacitated as regards supply of energy.
While electricity supply is available, but epileptic in Okere, First Marine Gate, and a few other parts of Warri, places like
Agbassa, Ginuwa, Omenta, Ogboru, Warri-Sapele road among others are in black-out.
It was gathered that the blackout began full scale November 27, 2022 with no reason yet to be advanced by BEDC Warri Zonal Office along Warri-Sapele road.
The situation has crashed commercial activities with cold rooms operators counting their losses and other business outfits crippling.
The situation has been made worse by the perennial scarcity of fuel with a litre of petrol selling for between N230 and N250 where available.
Speaking on the blackout, a barber at Ginuwa said: “we’re tired of BEDC and their blackout or epileptic power supply. Worse still, they’d never announce the reason for the blackout. They have no regards for us their customers.
“I buy fuel for N230 to power my generating set and I have to go far to get it. The situation is paralysing my business. Suffering blackout in Warri is becoming appallingly legendary. We need help,” the barber, who identified himself as Mamu, lamented.
Another resident of the area, Eze, said: “we’ve resigned to our fate. BEDC is a bunch of failure and habinger of sorrow. Unfortunately, nobody appears to be able to call them to order.”
An Igbo trader, Justice Obi, who has a printing press along Warri-Sapele road, flayed BEDC for insensitivity to the plight of residents of Warri.
“BEDC nor dey try at all. Dem nor dey try. Dem nor worry whether person get light or not. When fuel scarce, na dat time BEDC too dey misbehave. We don tire for dem,” the native of Anambra State lamented in pidgin.
Meanwhile, Stonix News gathered that the blackout is due to a fault that has not been clearly stated.
A message sent to the BEDC Business Manager in Warri Zonal Office, Ikechukwu Onuoha, on Friday to find out the reason for the blackout, was not responded.
“Good afternoon sir. Compliments of the season. Please, Ginuwa axis in Warri Sapele road has been without electricity in the last one week.
“The people are suffering given the ongoing fuel scarcity. What’s the problem, sir?,” the text message to the BEDC boss read.
It will be recalled that about a year ago, residents of Ginuwa axis in Warri were made to cough up some money which was a little shy of a million naira to fix their faulty transformer after they had suffered for almost six months without electricity.
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