Residents of Calabar in Cross River State capital have condemned the  prolonged power outage in the city as the situation has affected businesses and social life.

Mrs Agnes Ibe, a hairdresser in Calabar, told newsmen that the situation had lingered on for more than two weeks making people to spend more on petrol to power generating sets.

“Every day I fuel my generator both in the shop and in the house, so what I get in a day almost goes for fuel,’ she said.

Mr Asuquo Eyo, a resident, said he spent an average of N1,000 every day to power his generating set, and it was telling on his pocket.

“My family cannot stay without light, so I make sure that there is light both in the night and during the day time,’’ he said.

He said he was sad that the PHCN has no reason to allow electricity to go off for about two weeks without adequate information to the public.

“How can they just allow the people to suffer in ignorance when they would have made public whatever is the problem,‘’he added.

In his reaction, Mr Increase Abasi, a journalist, said the prolonged lack of electricity in Calabar had led to serious insecurity in parts of the city.

“There is serious insecurity now in some parts, particularly in Calabar South where armed robbers and other social miscreants now raid peoples’ houses and shops,’’ he said.

He called on the PHCN to quickly restore electricity in the city to avoid “turning Calabar into armed robbers zone’’.