By RITA ENEMURU, shortly after her return from Accra, Ghana where she emerged winner of the African Fact-Checking Awards (student category), was at sleepy Oviri Olomu in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State and brings a grim report about the prevailing darkness in the agrarian community.
Oviri-Olomu locality
For the residents of Oviri-Olomu in Delta State, light isn’t just life—it is survival. Deprived of electricity for over seven years, this once-vibrant community has descended into hardship, its progress halted, and livelihoods threatened.
Idle electric pole at Oviri-Olomu
Oviri-Olomu, located in Ughelli South Local Government Area, now faces a harsh reality. By 8:00 p.m., the streets are empty. Nightlife, common in neighboring areas, is a distant memory here. Only those who can afford petrol to run their generators venture outside or keep their businesses alive.
Without electricity, access to clean water is a daily struggle. Residents rely on rainwater, wells, or streams, as there is no power to operate boreholes. Prudence Donald, a 29-year-old secondary school teacher, recounts how her family spends over N5,000 a week on petrol just to pump water.
Prudence Donald
“We buy fuel thrice a week to pump water from our borehole. If we don’t, we’re forced to drink from wells or rivers like most people here,” she explains. “We also don’t want to buy sachet water because it’s too expensive now. Children can’t even study at night. There’s no light, no television, nothing to keep them indoors.”
She reflects on how things were different when she was younger: “When I was a child, we had electricity, and I could read at night. Now, the children here don’t even bother. Light brightens everywhere and makes children want to study, but in the dark, they just stay outside playing.”
The darkness extends beyond personal inconveniences—it has crippled the local economy. Many businesses, including bars and salons, have folded due to the inability to afford the high cost of fueling generators. Joseph Otovwievwiere, a land and house agent, describes how the lack of electricity has driven people away from the community.
Joseph Otovwievwiere, the House Agent
“People used to come here for business, but now they’re moving out. Without light, how can bars serve cold drinks or salons operate?” Otovwievwiere laments. “I’ve seen businesses like block-making industries and barbing salons shut down. We’ve lost our sense of community and livelihood.”
He also mentioned that potential clients lose interest the moment they hear about the electricity situation. “I get calls from people wanting to settle here, but when I explain there’s no electricity, they lose interest immediately,” Otovwievwiere adds. “Electricity is one of the key things people ask about when looking for an apartment or business space.”
The situation has worsened due to vandalism. The community’s sole transformer has been stripped of valuable components by thieves, making the return of electricity seem even more distant. “Some boys in the community have stolen parts of the transformer,” Otovwievwiere explains. “They’ve taken the cables and fuses, and without them, it will take a long time for light to come back.”
Oghenetega Oritse, a wood seller, attributes the electricity cut to fraud by officials of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC). He claims that community members paid their bills for years, but the payments never reached BEDC’s offices, resulting in the disconnection.
Oghenetega Oritse, the Merchant
“It’s not just Oviri-Olomu; nearby communities like Umolo and Ovwodokpokpo are also affected,” Oritse explains. “According to what people are saying, the bills paid to BEDC officials were never remitted, so they cut off the supply. Now we’ve been in total darkness for nearly eight years.”
Oritse also highlights the cost of living without electricity. “I spend N200 every day just to charge my phone, which adds up to over N62,000 a year. This wouldn’t happen if we had electricity.”
For Vincent Etata, who runs a phone-charging business, the rising cost of fuel has eaten into his profits. “I spend N13,000 a week on fuel, but I can barely make it back through phone charging alone,” he says. “I also sell drinks, but even that’s tough without constant power to keep them cold.”
Vincent Etata
Etata adds that the economic strain is making it difficult to continue: “When Buhari was president, fuel was cheaper, and I could make a profit. Now, it’s hard to break even. People who tried to run charging businesses have closed up because they can’t keep up with the fuel costs.”
Etata’s generating set-powered store
He elaborates further, explaining how he manages to stay in business: “I use a solar inverter to cut down on fuel costs. I can’t rely on the generator all the time—it’s too expensive. But even with that, I’m just getting by.”
Attempts to address the issue with BEDC have been slow. Stonix News submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the company, seeking clarification on the prolonged outage and plans for resolution. BEDC officials acknowledged the problem but have yet to provide a concrete timeline for restoring power.
Copy of the FOI sent to BEDC office
“We’ve been dealing with this for years,” said Mr. Femi Makun, the manager at the Ughelli BEDC office. “We’re trying to resolve it, but it’s been a challenge. I will attend to the FOI request once it gets to my desk.”
As Oviri-Olomu continues to struggle in the dark, its residents hold onto a dim hope that one day, light will return—not just to their homes, but to their lives.
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