For their Sin, Others Suffer
By Sebastine Obasi and Pauline Olisaemeka
Monday, September 22, 2008
The action of some rascals whcih resulted in the death of its manager, has forced Power Holding Company of Nigeria to cut electricity supply to Akute and Alagbole communities near Lagos
The residents of Akute and Alagbole, two communities in Ogun State, which share a common boundary with Lagos, did not bargain for what they have been experiencing in the past four weeks. Electricity supply to the communities has been cut due to the killing of Babatunde Ademolu, marketing manager, Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, Akute area office. Ademolu was killed following the power cut that occurred during the Nigeria-Belgium football match at the just concluded Olympic games in Beijing, China.
Newswatch learnt that on that fateful day, PHCN cut off power supply while the match was going on. It did not end there. Its field staff followed it up with a house-to-house mass disconnection. In anger, some of the residents protested, thus forcing the PHCN workers to retreat to their office. That did not satisfy the residents who followed them to the office.
Feeling threatened, the field staff phoned Ademolu. When he arrived, he was confronted by the increasing number of residents. In the ensuing confusion, the few staff were overpowered when a fight broke out. It was learnt that somebody in the crowd hit Ademola with a plank on the head. He collapsed, thus forcing the people to run away in fear. But not all of them were lucky to escape. Some were arrested and taken to Area ‘F’, Ikeja Police Station.
Ever since, Akute, Alagbole and environs have been without power. As a result, businesses in the communities have paralysed. Funmi Olaitan, a hairdresser on Alagbole road, Akute, is one of those affected by the blackout. She had to resort to the use of her generator to run her business. This, however, led to an increase in her charges.
For example, to retouch hair, the charge was increased from N100 to N200, while washing and drying of hair increased from N50 to N70. The increase in charges have slowed down her business because not many of her customers can afford the bill. Some of them instead, now patronise hair salons at the nearby Yakoyo neighbourhood, where power is relatively stable. "We don’t have any option than to depend on generator. It is a bad experience to talk about because we have lost all our customers since the blackout," she said.
The case of Bola Olaiya, another hairdresser on Alagbole road, is worse. She has virtually been out of business because she could not afford a generator. In a situation whereby her customers no longer patronise her, she has fallen back on her plaiting skill to keep body and soul together. "I no longer work because I cannot afford to buy a generator. I now do more of plaiting than retouching in order to survive," she said.
For Adesoni Yinka, a fish farmer, the food items in his fridge got spoilt in the first three days of the blackout. Apart from that, he settled for the use of the generator in his farm, when he had no other alternative. This is because his fish pond needs regular supply of water. And this can only be done with the help of electricity.
His diesel-powered generator set gulps an average of N10,000 weekly, thus increasing his production cost. "All of us did not partake in the killing of the PHCN man, but we are all suffering it. Since the culprits have been arrested, the law should be allowed to take its natural course," he said.
Ted Nwagwu, a resident of Alagbole, is also one of those suffering the blackout. The water system in his apartment is powered by electricity. To have water during the period of the blackout, he spends N200 on daily basis. But what pained him most was that the three different types of soup prepared by his wife and kept in the fridge got spoilt, together with other food items. He also felt bad because of the fumes and noise emanating from his neighbours’ generators. He has every reason to feel bad because of his health problem. "I nearly had high blood pressure because of the stress. I am too sensitive to noise and fumes. That is why I reside within the outskirts of Lagos," Nwagwu said.
He is not alone. G.O. Ogunsakin, former chairman of Akute Landlords Association, told Newswatch that the loss they suffered is unquantifiable. Specifically, he said that the pipe-borne water in the area was not functioning as a result of the blackout. On a daily basis therefore, he spends not less than N50 on water alone. Apart from that, he feels unhappy because his family can no longer store food. "If not for my children, I prefer going to my village because we cannot continue like this," he said.
When Newswatch visited the office of the PHCN at Akute, it was still under lock and key. Last Friday, the murdered marketing manager was buried. At the lying-in-state held at the Ikeja distribution zonal office, PHCN said it has put up a team of undisclosed number of men that would ensure the case is prosecuted. It is also liaising with the National Assembly for a bill that would deter any person from attacking any government staff on duty, irrespective of the nature of his responsibility.
"PHCN is putting up a team that would ensure that the culprits are prosecuted. The team shall also work with the National Assembly on the possibility of enacting a law that would secure the lives of government officials," said Olawale Adeola, chief executive officer of PHCN, Ikeja distribution zonal office. He described Ademolu as one of the best and diligent staff PHCN ever had. The family of the deceased also called on the federal government and the Nigerian Police to do a thorough investigation into the matter so as to bring the culprits to book.
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