SAPELE—BARELY five days after the controversial September 21 system voltage change over from 6.6KV to 11KV by the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) at Amukpe, Sapele, the host community of the one of the nation’s major Thermal Power Plants in Delta State, residents have been thrown into fresh darkness.
When Vanguard visited the town Tuesday afternoon, the effect of the scorching sun on the residents who were at home observing the strike action was quite much. Only the privileged ones were using generating plants NEPA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Benin City Distribution Zone, who is in charge of the area, Engr. Mary Akiode, had while commissioning the system which later sparked off a row between the Delta State government and the Authority over the role of the two sides in electricity palaver in Sapele pledged that power supply would improve in the town.
She told Vanguard in an interview in Benin that she stood to be challenged by anybody on whether power had not improved in Sapele since the commissioning. But the chairman of Sapele local government area, Chief Monday Igbuya, who was perplexed when he spoke to Vanguard , yesterday, said there was no electricity in the community even on the day they (NEPA) commissioned the project. “I told them so. We have been without electricity for nearly two weeks in this community. What have we done to deserve all this nonsense? Is it a crime to host a power station,” Chief Igbuya asked.
“Can somebody speak to us on what is holding the step down of our 132/33KV Transmission Station. I said it before that their system change over from 6.6 KV cannot guarantee power supply. Was the contract for Sapele step down not awarded same time with that of Jalingo, Abuja stadium and others? All this talk that it is the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that is yet to release money does not mean anything to us. Is it not NEPA that awarded the contracts for the ones that have been completed? Why was Sapele’s own left behind?. If they are saying it is the FEC, then, let the FEC release the money. We believe NEPA is playing some games with us.
“All the timber companies in Sapele have folded up because there is no electricity and they are here deceiving us with a system change over which they know ab initio, will not solve anything. I want to tell you that the Authority is creating security problem for us in this local government because the people who would have been gainfully employed if there was electricity are now looking for anything to do to make money and that include criminal activities,” he said.
Manager (Public Affairs) of NEPA in Warri, Mr Emmanuel Ibude, however, told Vanguard Wednesday in Warri that the major blackout NEPA had in Sapele after the system change over did not last for up to two weeks, saying the power outage was not in any way connected with the system change over. He said the five-day blackout that affected communities on Warri/Sapele road, Sapele town, Mosogar, Jesse, Elume and environs was as a result of a “major break down at Effurun. A truck suspected to be carrying high luggage pulled down and damaged components of Effurun 33KV network , thereby throwing Sapele and environs into darkness.”
Told that there was already blackout in Sapele before the accident, the NEPA spokesman said it could be as a result of line tripping, pointing out that “there cannot be power problem in Sapele now except the local transformer is bad. Before now, we were doing unit load shedding because of the inadequacy of transformers.”
Mr. Ibude who apologised on behalf of NEPA to all the affected customers for the inconveniences experienced during the black out, claimed that repairs had been effected in the last four days and power restored to the town. He said the authority employed the services of town criers to announce in the affected communities that one of its towers collapsed with about 8.15 kilometre conductor. Confronted with the fact that there was no electricity in the town on Monday when Vanguard visited, Mr Ibude had to call on the NEPA officials on ground in Sapele who said there was load-shedding the day Vanguard visited. Delta State government, Vanguard learnt, has almost concluded plans with the authority to hand over transformers to NEPA for the Sapele electricity project. The transformers, according to a source close to government, would be handed over to NEPA in Asaba. But there is disagreement as the Authority maintained that the transformers should still be conveyed by the state government to its Zonal Office in Benin City for proper accountability by the Chief Operating Officer.
