The Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, Hon. Obari Ollor, has vowed to take action in an effort to restore electricity to communities affected by the prolonged blackout in the area.
The assurances came after talks with organisers of a protest over the power outage, resulting in the postponement of the impending demonstration on Friday, reports Nation Point.
The protest was sparked by Chief JP Ngochindo, who called for urgent action over the prolonged power crisis that has impacted the local government area for over eight months.
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Speaking on the postponement of the protest, Ngochindo revealed that he had met with the Divisional Police Officer of Eleme, SP Ifeanyi Nwafor; the Director of the Department of State Services in the area, Mrs Umbeh; and a representative of the Eleme Council of Community Development Committees, Pastor Monday Amadi Igwe.
According to Ngochindo, the meetings were held on the instigation of the council chairman, who assured that measures were being taken to restore electricity to the affected communities.
Ngochindo revealed that the assurance informed the decision to postpone the protest as stakeholders await developments.
“We have chosen to suspend the protest while we follow up the processes thereof,” he stated, adding that the public would be kept informed of the outcome.
The prolonged blackout has left many residents, businesses and other economic players in the oil and industrial-rich local government area suffering significantly.
In addition to the use of petrol and diesel-run generators, those who cannot afford to purchase generators have been forced to patronise commercial charge points to charge their mobile phones and other devices.
The blackout has also forced businesses to bear high operational costs due to the need for alternative sources of power, with residents and business owners complaining of the massive financial burden.
The Eleme Local Government Council had earlier taken steps to restore electricity to the affected communities by replacing damaged feeder pillars.
However, the intervention was challenged by heavy rains and flooding, which impeded the installation of the new pillars.
With the protest postponed, residents are expected to await the outcome of the measures promised by the council chairman as stakeholders work to restore electricity to the affected communities.
Ngochindo said he would keep monitoring the situation and updating the public on developments, with a view to achieving “a better Eleme where all are treated with dignity.”
