The Otun community, off Lucky Fibre along Imota road who endured living without electricity for over fifteen months finally restored transformer after paying over four million naira to power contractors. The area and other adjoining communities had a poor transformer installed in their territory only for it to develop technical fault afterwards.
The residents called on the officials of the Power Holding Company to help service the bad power source. The PHCN officials took the transformer away for a while but could not fix it, instead advised the residents to get another transformer. After rallying round funds from each houses occupying the area, the Community Development Associations paid for the replacement of another transformer. What ought to bring succor to the residents became a nightmare, as it turned out to be a long struggle for electric power supply for the people.
Nyekwere Emmanuel who has a shop in the Otun area asserts that power company official still brought electricity bills to residents some months after they stopped having power supply. He said residents live at the whim and caprices of the power holding officials who bring estimated bills and disconnect houses from the power source. Chairman of the Solomon Unit, Mr. Olanrewaju Adeyiga narrated how they endured without electricity for a year and three months.
He said since mid-2017, the area was without power supply till December 24, 2018 when they had the power supply for the night and waited till January 2019 before having power again. “Initially, we were sharing transformer with Idi-Orogbo CDA, after a while, their transformer also developed fault and the NEPA officials told us to get a new transformer for our unit (Solomon unit/CDA). We asked them for the cost and they refer us to an independent contractor who works with the PHCN. When we bargained with the contractor, they gave us a quotation of 3.8 million naira, and later told us to get the materials by ourselves. On the long run we spent over four million naira acquiring the items and for their service.” He recounted.
Mrs. Ola who sells fairly used clothes bemoan the suffering in the hands of the power holding officials who treat them unjustly. According the petty trader, many neighbours in the vicinity had to close down their shops when they operate without power supply for several months, she said: “my neighbour who is a hairstylist folded up after she could not make customers’ hair for about a year. Other small businesses around here also closed down shops.” Each house contributed cash for the transformer, the least payment was fifteen thousand naira. While some paid twenty thousand naira, others paid more, all in a bid to secure electricity transformer in the community.
Though, the community have paid and installed the transformer, power supply is still irregular in Otun and they have constantly been receiving outrageous bills from PHCN unit serving the Lucky Fibre axis.