Suffering from a 27 years’ power outage with no respite in sight, Okujagu and Ojimba Communities in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State have called on the State Government and relevant stakeholders to come to their aid and help restore power to their communities.

A fact-finding visit to both communities by Kristina Reports team on Friday, June 5, 2024 confirmed the appalling situation the communities were grappling with having been in total blackout for the past 27 years and still counting.

In an interview with Kristina Reports, Chairman of the Okujagu Community Development Committee (CDC), Owuebari Dabo-Opuye affirmed that the community has been bedevilled by this plight since 1996, four years after the electricity infrastructure in the Community was commissioned.

“September 2nd, 1992 was when the light was commissioned by Chief Rufus Ada George and four years after, the light was vandalised and till date, there have been blackout in Okujagu Community. In fact, people born within this period have never seen light.”

He enumerated how much efforts have been put to restore the power which according to him came through the Aleto axis going through the mangroves and bush paths which has been vandalized by yet-to-be-identified hoodlums, regretting that it was difficult pointing fingers to anyone as there was no form of communal clashes between them and their neighbouring communities.

The CDC Chairman also said efforts has been made to relate the issue to the Okrika Local Government upon resumption of the office but sadly till date, nothing has been done, just as efforts to meet the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) have, so far, proved abortive.

“Okujagu Community is also known for her political involvement so we felicitated with past administrations in a bid to get them to restore our power, all to no avail. Even when we met NEPA, they said they were not aware of it.”

Also speaking, the Secretary to the community’s Elders Council, Rufus Amoni described the situation as terrible, asserting that the resultant effects is gross.

“I have not turned on my gen for the past 6months and that’s because the price of fuel is too high, here they sell a litre for N1000. There’s no way to store our eatables. We are known for fishing business. There’s no light to preserve our fishes. It’s very terrible”

Okujagu Community is closely knitted with Ojimba Community as they share the same geographical terrain.

Chairman of Ojimba Community, Tamuno Peter told Kristina Reports that the situation is despicable as it has made business not to flourish.

“Strangers came to reside but because there was no light, the left with their businesses. We are really worried, we can’t access welders, we are so underdeveloped.

“We’re pleading that the state government should look into our matter. They just forgot us and abandoned us.”