IZUNNA OKAFOR
The Anambra State Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, Engr. Julius Chukwuemeka, has said that efforts were currently ongoing to restore sustainable electricity to Awka and other parts of the State where there has been power outage for some days in the past week.
The Commissioner disclosed this in Awka on Sunday during an interview with this reporter.
According to him, the outage was as a result of an issue that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had with their transmission line, which caused the outage for people connected to the Agu Awka and Nibo substations.
The Commissioner, who revealed that the outage lingered because of the long time it took to trace and identify the reason behind it, given that the tracing was done manually, and given that some of the transmission cables pass through rivers and thick bushes.
He however, revealed that the transmission issues have been resolved, while power has been restored.
He said, “What happened was that the TCN had issue with the transmission line, I think, around Nawfia. But by the special grace of God, that was restored yesterday. So, power has gotten to the affected sub-stations, Nibo and Agu Awka.
“The EEDC is now tackling the issues of distribution. I believe, by late last night, some parts of Awka have started having light. Power has been restored to those areas.
“And I know the EEDC is working very hard to ensure that every area affected by the outage. Hopefully, before the end of today, we will know how far they have gone. In fact, our target is that, at least, before the end of today, those within Awka Main will be covered.”
Commissioner Chukwuemeka also appreciated the tireless efforts of the TCN and the EEDC in resolving the issues and restoring the power, while also assuring that the Power sector will continue to deliver on its mandate to the people.
When asked about some residents who complain that they feel bad paying for electricity they didn’t use; the Commissioner said efforts were on top gear to ensure that every household has a prepaid meter.
“I understand the difficulty the people are passing through, paying for electricity that may not be equivalent to what they consumed. My word to them is that they should exercise patience, as government is working very hard to ensure that we attend to their need,” he said.