Residents of several areas in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, are growing increasingly frustrated as they continue to experience power outages well beyond the expected restoration date set by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC). Despite an earlier promise to restore electricity by January 7, 2024, BEDC has missed this deadline, and many neighborhoods have now been without power since November 13, 2023.
This prolonged power failure is affecting not only daily life but also businesses and essential services, leading to a growing sense of discontent in the community. The outage, which was initially announced as a temporary disruption for an upgrade project by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), was supposed to last about eight weeks. However, as of now, it has extended into the tenth week, with no sign of resolution in sight.
BEDC had informed the public that the disruption would be necessary to replace an aging 40MVA transformer at the Ihovbor Transmission Station with a new 100MVA unit, aimed at boosting the power supply to the affected areas. The company listed numerous neighborhoods that would be impacted, including Ihovbor, Ikpoba Hill, Benin-Agbor Road, Auchi Road, Ugbowo, Siluko Road, New-Benin Market, and several others across the city and surrounding areas.
The failure to restore power as promised has left many residents, who had been hoping for a return to normalcy, grappling with the consequences. Grace Oboh, a resident of Upper Lawani, expressed deep frustration, revealing that her food stock had spoiled due to the lack of refrigeration, causing her significant inconvenience. She stressed the urgency of addressing the issue to prevent future hardships for the community.
Similarly, Gift Osas, the owner of Gifted Coldroom, voiced her concerns about the long-term impact of the outages on her business. She emphasized the strain on her operations as she tries to find alternative ways to keep her business running despite the ongoing disruptions.
Mr. Christopher, a hair salon owner, also shared his difficulties, noting that the power shortage had directly affected his ability to serve his clients and resulted in a decline in business. He raised concerns about the inability to deliver quality service without a stable power supply.
An unnamed BEDC staff who spoke to residents, citing technical issues at the national level, explained that the delay in power restoration was due to complications involving voltage fluctuations. These fluctuations, often caused by malfunctioning transformers or damaged power lines, have delayed the completion of the necessary upgrades. The staff member reassured residents that efforts are being made to rectify the situation, urging the community to remain patient as the issues are being addressed.
In light of these ongoing challenges, residents are calling for more transparency from BEDC regarding the progress of the restoration work and a clear timeline for when they can expect a return to reliable power supply.
