Residents of Edo State have expressed their displeasure over the announcement made by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) with the effect that some parts of the state will experience power supply disruption beginning from 13 November 2023.
According to the announcement by BEDC, the affected areas include Ihovbor, Ikpoba Hill, Benin-Agbor Road, Auchi Road, Temboga, Upper Mission, Army Signal, Igiesota, Ikh Uenero village and environs, Siluko road, New-Benin market, Psychiatric Hospital, and the areas around University of Benin.
Others are Okhoro road, Upper Lawani, Uteh village, Palace and environs, Adolor, FGGC road, Ugbowo, Ekosodin, Ishior and environs, Ekiadolor, Uselu, Oluku, Iwoya, Okhun, Utekon, Otokhore, Ora communities, Textile Mill Road, Egbor, Obanosa, as well as Uwelu and environs.
BEDC said the disruption is expected to last for approximately eight (8) weeks.
“Please be informed of a planned power disruption in parts of Edo State due to a network upgrade exercise by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on the Ihovbor 132/33KV transmission station.
“The disruption will commence on Monday 13th November 2023 and will continue until 7th January 2024. The disruption is necessary to enable the replacement of an old 40MVA transformer with a new 100MVA transformer, which will increase the supply capacity to the affected areas” BEDC said on X, formerly Twitter.
Joy Ughamadu, a fashion designer who lives in one of the affected areas, complained about the timing of the disruption as it coincides with the festive season.
Ughamadu said, “This is not the time for this kind of disruption. We are approaching the Christmas season and as a fashion designer, I need constant electricity supply to do my work and deliver on time so customers will not be disappointed. Now, the cost of running a generator to do most of my work is very high especially with the current fuel price, I don’t even know how I will cope.”
Fred Odigie, a cold-room manager, also lamented the disruption and the expected impact on the prices of frozen items. He noted that subsidy removal has made operating a generator a costlier alternative to people in the frozen foods business.
“A cold-room business needs constant power supply to do well. Now, I’m hearing power supply will not be regular, meaning that we will now have to spend more on fuel to power our generators. Definitely, this will affect the costs of the frozen foods as the festive period approaches. Just the price of fuel alone, the amount we will spend during this period to keep our frozen foods fresh will eat deep into our margins. I hope we will not end up running at a loss,” Odigie said.
Joy Obasohan, a trader residing in one of the affected areas, said that the announcement by BEDC will negatively affect the activities of her association.
“I belong to an association that shares food items and even slaughters cows for all our members during the festive period. Now, if we don’t have a stable power supply, how could we then store the food items? We will have to use a generator or pay cold-room operators to help preserve the meat. BEDC could have just done this upgrade either before this period or wait till after the celebration ends, because we will have to think twice about storage now before we buy ahead of the festive season,” Obasohan said.
Sharing her views on the circular released by BEDC, Ifeoma Kingsley, a working-class mother in the banking sector and a resident in one of the affected areas, said, “Due to the nature of my job, I personally prefer to cook and store it in my freezer for easy daily consumption for my family, because I usually don’t have the time to frequent the market.”
She added that until this announcement, her area usually had relatively stable power supply which assisted her to plan her shores.
“With this disruption, I have to go to the market more often or look for other ways to preserve my food items and that will come at an extra cost to me. I must say that I am really worried about how I will cope during this period and hope after this upgrade, the power supply will be more stable so we won’t have to go through this ordeal in the nearest future,” she said.
