[dropcap]R[/dropcap]esidents and Business owners within the Calabar South area have on Tuesday protested lack of Power Supply and High cost of Electricity bills within the area. The residents numbered over 15th, mostly from the Amika Utuk, Goldie, Etonko and its environs matched and barricaded the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), Calabar office in a bit to lay their complaints as well as to get the issues resolved.
They said they haven’t had a single minute of power in the last two months but have been giving monthly bills of over twelve thousand naira (N12, 000) for “darkness supplied.”
One of the residents, Savior by name said “the lack of electricity in the area has increased criminal activities in the area, as hoodlums capitalised on the lack of power to rob residents of the area”.Though the PHED officials called two or more protesters to their office after they have laid siege on the gate of the company for about 30 minutes, for a possible resolution of the problem.
After about an hour of the meeting, the three representatives of the protesters gathered together and informed them that the management of the company said they understand their plight, and the issue of Power supply is not peculiar to their area. But they had promised that from the next day, they will start rationalising the power in the area until the issue is finally resolved.
Meanwhile for the bill, the management of the company stated that they’d look into the matter, but for the main time, they shouldn’t pay the November bill. Residents around the Marian axis have also complained bitterly of heavy bills, power rationing and blackout for the past one month.