Residents of Akwa Ibom State are facing increasing hardship following the sharp rise in fuel prices and a prolonged power outage that has lasted for nearly three weeks, severely affecting businesses and daily activities.
The combined impact of the blackout and the high cost of petrol has disrupted livelihoods and slowed socio-economic activities across the oil-rich state, leaving many residents struggling to cope.
Residents said that while they were still grappling with the soaring fuel pump price of about N1,300 per litre, the ongoing blackout has compounded the situation, forcing many small businesses to shut down temporarily.
The ripple effect is evident in the rising cost of everyday services and goods. For instance, a short tricycle trip that previously cost N100 now goes for about N200. Cold sachet water that was once sold at two for N50 is now N100, while the cost of photocopying a page has doubled from N50 to N100.
A resident of Afaha Ube in Uyo, the state capital, identified as Chimaobi, who runs an ice block business, said the blackout has brought his operations to a standstill. According to him, the high cost of petrol makes it impossible to power his generator.
“For more than two weeks, I have not been able to run my business because there is no electricity,” he said. “Buying fuel at N1,250 or N1,300 per litre to power my generator will only lead to losses.”
Households are also feeling the impact, particularly women who say the lack of electricity has made it difficult to cook and store food in large quantities due to the inability to use refrigerators.
The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) attributed the outage to a fault on the Aba–Itu 132kV transmission line. In a statement issued over the weekend, the company assured residents that efforts were underway to fix the problem and restore power as soon as possible.
Akwa Ibom receives electricity from three main sources: the national grid through the Aba–Itu 132kV transmission line, the Itu–Adiabo (Calabar) line, and the state-owned Ibom Power Plant.
However, an insider at Ibom Power explained that the Itu–Adiabo transmission line had been vandalised years ago, leaving the aging Aba–Itu line as the primary grid supply to the state alongside electricity generated by Ibom Power.
According to the source, the Aba–Itu line frequently develops faults because it was built decades ago and now requires reconductoring to improve its capacity.
The source added that repair work on the Aba–Itu line cannot begin immediately because the Itu–Adiabo line remains out of service. Shutting down the Aba–Itu line for repairs without restoring the other line would leave the state without any grid electricity supply.
As a temporary solution, the source suggested that if Ibom Power receives steady gas supply, it could generate enough electricity to serve the state while the Aba–Itu line undergoes repairs, a process expected to take about three months.
Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has also raised concerns about repeated vandalism of the Ikot Abasi–Eket transmission line, which evacuates power from Ibom Power.
TCN noted that when the line was vandalised in November last year, the Managing Director of Ibom Power, Engr. Camillus Umoh, had to intervene to ensure its swift restoration.
The company also disclosed that several transmission projects in the state have stalled due to youth unrest and community demands for compensation.
TCN therefore called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to help sensitise residents on the need to protect electricity infrastructure from vandalism.
