Residents of Choba
Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State were full of jubilation last Thursday as Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) restored electricity supply in the area after over three weeks blackout.
Mr Johnson Ibe, a barbing Salon operator expressed joy that the blackout which had frustrated his business for almost one month was over.
Ibe told our correspondent, “I noticed a flicker of light Wednesday morning and shouted, . Thank God, the era of bad business is over.”
Mr Onyemuche Jaja, a student of the University of Port Harcourt also expressed same joy. It has been quite a difficult period as one kept spending his little fortune on fuel which everybody knows how expensive and difficult it is to buy in the state.”
He commended the authorities of PHEDC for their effort in restoring electricity in the area, explaining that public power supply has no better alternative.
At NTA Road, Joy Columbus, who operates a restaurant was happy at the restoration of power supply but blamed authorities of the electricity company for the long delay.
“One cannot explain fully the difficulty in operating our kind of business without power supply for almost one month. I had expected that the bad period ought not to last for more than three days.”
Columbus narrated how she lost some of her important customers within the period because she could not serve them cold drinks as before.
“At any rate, PHEDC has tried. I am happy that power supply is back,” she remarked and pleaded with the company not to forget that the area had no light for a long time while calculating their usual crazy bills.
It could be recalled that Choba, Mgbuoba, Alakahia and other meighbouring communities were thrown into blackout following a windstorm that wreaked havoc on the facilities of PHEDC in the area.
The Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs of phedc, Mr. OBI Onuwah told The Tide that the wind storm destroyed several electricity poles and other accessories and assured that power would be restored as the company’s engineers were working round the clock to address the situation.

Chris Oluoh

People scooping kerosene from the drainage at the scene of a tanker accident at Uselu in Benin-City, recently. Photo: NAN