John Diidi
Residents of Ogbunabali community in Port Harcourt city local Government Area has on Tuesday, staged a protest against Portharcourt Electric Distribution Company.
The residents, blocked off and shut down the PHED Office at Nzimiro road, Old GRA, over what they termed ’the company’s inability to provide them with electricity for months’.
The community, complained bitterly about the lack of power supply that has affected their businesses and more so, their inability to cope with the current heat wave in the city.
Having grown tired of the company’s excuses, the protesters mounted canopies with a live band that played cultural music saying that they will not go home until there is power supply in their homes.
Residents of Oyibo had in January, attacked PHED with a coffin for not supplying the area with electricity for months and subsequently shut down a PHED office in the area.
In a similar twist, indigenes of Afam in Oyibo local government also shut down the Afam power station in January over the inability of PHED to supply the community with electricity.
TPCN correspondent reports that the Ogbunabali community’s women brought out their cooking items and were seen cooking on the streets while a slaughtered goat was decorated with PHED “Costumes “.
A TCPN correspondent’s quest for reactions from PHED officials, proved abortive as they declined to comment on the matter.
As at the time of filing this report, the Ogbunabali residents are still occupying the PHED office and promised to stay there till their demands are met.
