The residents of Amawire Orji, in Owerri, Imo took matters into their own hands after a broken transformer left them without power for more than a month.
The residents, led by a local committee, pooled their resources to purchase a brand new transformer which has so far been delivered on site.
According to a member of the committee, the new transformer has given the neighbourhood a great boost, as they hope to resume their daily activities with reliable power very soon.
The breakdown of the transformer created a great deal of frustration and anxiety among the residents, who are desperately waiting for the power to be restored.
One of them who spoke to our correspondent said that living or running a business in the area is now expensive as generators which were meant to be their backup source have been their main source of electricity for more than a month.
“Some people buy fuel for their shops and homes every day and you can imagine what the expenses will look like. This could have been avoided, but we thank God that finally our transformer is here. We’ll be waiting for EEDC (Enugu Electricity Distribution Company), to do the needful”, the woman said.
A committee member said that they are still waiting for EEDC to test-run the transformer so as to make sure it is in good shape before the full installation is done.
He also said that the delay in restoring is from EEDC, adding that there are no other constraints as regards the installation of the transformer.
Residents however expressed concerns over the longevity of the solution, calling for a solution that is more reliable, robust and sustainable.
They called on the government to invest in upgrading the power infrastructure in the area to prevent future disruptions.
