By Angela Oduche
Residents and small business owners in Omagba Phase 2, Onitsha, are battling persistent electricity outages that have disrupted daily life and economic activities, forcing reliance on costly alternatives.
Mr. Sunday Okeke, a barber on Abba Street, said the situation is eroding his profits. “I spend more on fuel than I earn. Sometimes, we have no electricity for weeks. Without my generator, I lose customers, but fuel prices keep rising,” he lamented. While Mrs. Uju Nwachukwu, a frozen food trader, said repeated losses have forced her to cut stock. “I lose goods when there’s no power for long. I can’t run a generator all day,” she said.
Households are also affected as Mrs. Ebere Ojukwu, a mother of three, noted that her children struggle to study at night. “We rely on rechargeable lamps, and when there’s no electricity to charge them, it becomes a serious problem.”
Efforts to reach the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) for comment were unsuccessful at press time.
Community leaders on the other hand warn that the outages are stalling local economic growth and deterring investors. They urged authorities to upgrade infrastructure and stabilise supply.
Energy experts also said, Omagba’s situation mirrors national challenges of generation shortfalls, distribution inefficiencies, and ageing infrastructure.
While residents have resorted to adjusting business hours, pooling resources for generator use, and exploring solar alternatives, many maintain that such measures remain temporary. “Stable electricity would transform our circumstances,” Mrs. Nwachukwu stated. “It would enable business growth and significantly ease daily living. At present, we are merely coping with the situation.”
Angela is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
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