By Asuquo Cletus
Residents of Ikpai Ohom and Big Qua Town in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, have threatened to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission over alleged extortion by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.
The residents accused the electricity distribution company of collecting millions of naira from them under the guise of repairing a faulty transformer but allegedly failing to carry out the work several months after the payment.
The affected communities, which have been without electricity for about seven months, while speaking to the Guardian, described the development as an “economic crime” and demanded urgent intervention from relevant authorities.
According to the residents, the transformer serving Ikpai Ohom and Big Qua Town, which was installed in 1968, had been experiencing repeated faults before it was eventually removed by officials of the electricity company in August 2025 for repairs.
However, they alleged that despite contributing large sums of money to support the repair of the facility, the transformer had yet to be returned or replaced, leaving the communities in prolonged darkness.
Speaking with the guardian in Calabar on Tuesday, a resident of Ikpai Ohom, Ntufam Etim Edet, said the communities had been struggling with the blackout since the transformer broke down about seven months ago.
He explained that the fault was beyond what residents could fix on their own, prompting them to appeal to the state government for assistance.
Similarly, a resident of Big Qua Town, Edim Ika, described the prolonged blackout as embarrassing and unacceptable, lamenting that those responsible for resolving the issue were comfortable relying on generators.
Another resident, Okokon Edem, said the power outage had caused severe hardship for families in the area.
“We now pay money at charging centres that operate with generators just to charge our phones,” he said.
A resident, Victoria Omini, said the blackout had pushed more than 2,000 homes into hardship, worsening water shortages and increasing insecurity in the communities.
“It is highly disheartening to state that we have only had electricity supply for less 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 the high cost of petrol and diesel,” she said.
Also speaking, a resident of Big Qua Town, Ojo Idowu, said the prolonged outage 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 struggling.
Idowu also raised concerns over rising insecurity in the area, noting that vandals and burglars often take advantage of the darkness to perpetrate crimes at night.
According to him, residents were forced to celebrate Christmas and New Year in darkness, describing the situation as frustrating.
The residents appealed to Bassey Otu, Governor of Cross River State, to intervene urgently, saying repeated attempts to get a response from the electricity company had proved unsuccessful.
