Residents of Ikpai Ohom and Big Qua Town in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, have decried a blackout that has lasted about six months following the failure of a transformer supplying electricity to the areas.

The Guardian reports that the transformer serving the two communities, installed in 1968, has recently developed faults and was finally taken away for repairs in August 2025, plunging the communities into total darkness.

The communities decried the failure of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company to repair or replace the transformer, which was removed after collecting money contributed by residents for repairs since August last year, thereby leaving them in total blackout with no hope of repair in sight.

The residents appealed to Governor Bassey Otu for intervention, saying they could no longer rely on the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (DisCo) to resolve the problem.

Speaking with our correspondent in Calabar, Ntufam Etim Edet, a resident of Ikpai, said the transformer serving the two communities broke down six months ago, leaving them without electricity. He noted that the fault was beyond what the communities could handle, hence their appeal to the state government for assistance.

Similarly, a resident of Big Qua Town, who identified himself as Edim Ika, described the prolonged blackout in Ikpai and Big Qua Town as embarrassing and unacceptable.

He lamented that those expected to champion the resolution of the issue were comfortable using generators.

Another resident, Mr Okokon Edem, said the blackout had brought untold hardship to the communities.

“We now pay to charge our phones at charging centres that operate with generators,” he said, calling on the state government and well-meaning individuals to come to the aid of the communities.

Another resident, Victoria Omini, said the long blackout has become intolerable for families struggling through the disruption, adding that the situation has pushed more than 2,000 homes into deep hardship, worsened water shortages, and heightened insecurity across the area, and demanding urgent action to restore power to the communities.

“It is deeply disheartening to say that we have had electricity for fewer than five months in 2025. Both communal living and business activities have suffered, with residents, including children, wives, and the elderly, scavenging for water from neighbouring communities despite high inflation in PMS and diesel prices.”

A Big Qua Town resident, Mr Ojo Idowu, said the blackout had forced many artisans who rely on electricity for their livelihoods to relocate to neighbouring communities.

He added that several small-scale businesses had shut down due to the lack of power, leaving the local economy at a standstill.

Idowu also expressed concern about rising insecurity, noting that vandals, hoodlums and burglars now take advantage of the darkness to commit crimes at night.

According to him, residents were forced to celebrate Christmas and the New Year in darkness, a development he described as frustrating and unacceptable.

He appealed to the state government and political leaders to intervene urgently, adding that repeated attempts to obtain a response from the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company had proved unsuccessful. (Guardian)

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