Akwa Ibom residents groan as fuel price, prolonged blackout hit harder
Fuel Price Surge and Extended Blackouts Strain Akwa Ibom Residents
UYO, Akwa Ibom – The recent spike in fuel prices and a prolonged blackout are severely impacting the lives of residents in Akwa Ibom State, particularly business owners, as socio-economic activities reach a low point.
Local reports indicate that residents are grappling with fuel prices soaring to N1,300 per liter, coupled with a blackout that has persisted for nearly three weeks. This situation has severely disrupted businesses across the oil-rich state.
Transportation costs have doubled, with tricycle fares rising from N100 to N200 for short distances. Similarly, the price of cold sachet water has increased from two for N50 to N100, while photocopying services have seen a jump from N50 to N100 per page.
Chimaobi, a resident of Afaha Ube in Uyo who sells ice blocks, described the impact of the outage on his livelihood. He noted that he has been unable to operate his business during the blackout because fuel prices make it unfeasible to run his generator.
“For over two weeks now, I have not been able to run my business due to the power outage,” Chimaobi said. “I can’t afford to buy fuel at N1,250 or N1,300 per liter, as I would incur losses.”
Households are also struggling, with many women reporting difficulties in cooking meals in advance due to a lack of electricity for refrigeration.
In a statement over the weekend, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) attributed the ongoing power outage to a fault on the Aba-Itu 132kV transmission line. The company assured residents that efforts are underway to restore power and urged patience during this period.
Akwa Ibom State relies on three sources for electricity: the national grid through the Aba-Itu 132kV transmission line, the Itu–Adiabo (Calabar) line, and the state-owned Ibom Power Plant. However, a source within Ibom Power noted that the Itu–Adiabo line has been out of service due to vandalism, leaving the aging Aba-Itu line as the sole source for grid power alongside local generation.
The source also highlighted that the frequent faults on the Aba-Itu line, which has limited capacity due to its age, complicate the situation. Work on the line cannot commence while the Itu–Adiabo line remains unavailable, which raises the risk of having no grid electricity in the state during repairs.
According to the source, the immediate remedy would be to initiate repairs on the Aba-Itu line while ensuring a steady gas supply to Ibom Power for continued local generation.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has expressed concern over the frequent vandalism of the Ikot Abasi–Eket transmission line, which is vital for evacuating Ibom Power’s output. Previous incidents of vandalism prompted urgent restoration efforts from Ibom Power’s management.
Additionally, TCN indicated that several transmission projects in the state have been stalled due to community unrest and demands for compensation. They have called for the Akwa Ibom State government to engage residents in educating them on the importance of safeguarding electricity infrastructure.
