Power Crisis: Blackout Wreaks Havoc In Delta

Many households and businesses across Delta State have been reeling from the effects of worsening electricity blackouts, in addition to the heatwave.

Findings by Leadership show that residents of Asaba, Warri, Sapele, Agbor, Ughelli, Abraka, and other towns have been grappling with days-long blackouts, forcing many to abandon reliance on public electricity and turn to solar power and generators.

The situation has become a major challenge for traders and small-scale entrepreneurs who rely heavily on electricity for their daily operations.

In the early hours of Monday, industrial action by the Staff of BEDC Electricity Plc under the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) led to the shutdown of electrical infrastructure across Delta, resulting in a loss of supply on most feeders.

In the Asaba office, they blocked the entrance, prevented staff from entering, and shut down key operational facilities. They are demanding salary harmonisation, aligning pay structure fairly, implementation of the national minimum wage, promotion of stagnated workers, threat of mass sack/job security and other welfare packages/emoluments

NUEE said they gave BEDC a 14-day ultimatum, plus an extra 7 days’ grace, to negotiate, but management did not use the window. Management on their side said that they are surprised because they recently reviewed emoluments

According to Dumebi Kogolo, SESR-MD, Asaba Business Unit, while apologising for the inconvenience this has caused, he said management and NUEE are in a closed-door meeting in Benin.

“The NLC said the outcome will determine the next line of action. They are engaging with the union leadership to resolve the situation and restore normal operations. Thank you for your patience and understanding,” he stated.

Residents who spoke to our correspondents said the situation made it nearly impossible for them to carry out normal activities during the day and night, and that even communities classified under the Band A electricity tariff category, which should receive at least 20 hours of electricity daily, do not have electricity.

The consequences are revealing, as many grapple with business closures, food spoilage, and growing dependence on alternative power sources.

A resident of Asaba, Daniel Iholo, said many people have already lost hope in public electricity supply and that the persistent blackout forced many households to seek alternative energy solutions. He explained that while some households switched to solar, others completely disconnected from the public electric grid and switched to generators.

“I cannot even count the number of houses that have installed solar systems because of the outage. The high cost of petrol and diesel to power the generator is another headache. When you impose the cost on customers, they run away, and you are left with the option of not making sales,” he lamented.

Another resident, Sheriff Dan, said, “Because of the heat, people now depend on neighbours who have solar power to buy ice blocks or cold water. But how long will one continue with that? It is seen as a shame and disturbance when you keep worrying your neighbour; before you know it, you get an insult,” he said.

In Okpanam, opposite the airport, where many consumers recently migrated to the expensive 33 Line Band A electricity tariff, residents said the electricity supply was dead. They lamented the blackout since Monday.

A small business owner in Agbor, Patrick, said the rising cost of running generators had crippled productivity. “The cost of running generators is killing my business and has slowed it down, and expenses keep rising. Prolonged blackouts have forced businesses to shut down. I sell frozen foods, but the business is frustrating because there is no electricity supply. It has caused losses of perishable food items stored in refrigerators,” he said.

Also lamenting, Madam Grace said, “It is really a serious issue here, and it has affected many businesses, owing to widespread reliance on generators. Now businesses struggle to survive”

The dry cleaner said unreliable electricity had severely affected her business and livelihood. “I depend on electricity for my business, which has not been moving well for days now. It has caused losses of soaked clothes inside the washing machine” she said.

An iron bender, Matthew Ekele, said many artisans in the area had been forced to suspend work and resort to riding commercial tricycles to make ends meet. “I cannot do anything without electricity. Since Monday, we have hardly had electricity. Food items, especially soup, have spoiled in my wife’s refrigerator,” he said.

Despite the hardship, residents said they hope the meeting between NUEE and management would yield immediate positive results, even though many continue to express frustration over the outages.