Residents of Bayelsa State, one of Nigeria’s oil-rich regions, are enduring a frustrating electricity blackout that has persisted for three months, raising serious concerns about infrastructure and governance in an area rich in natural resources. Despite being a significant contributor to Nigeria’s oil production, Bayelsa is currently grappling with severe power shortages that have disrupted daily life, affecting businesses, schools, and healthcare facilities.

Many households have turned to generators for electricity, straining their finances and contributing to environmental pollution. Local businesses are particularly hard hit, with many forced to close or reduce operations. “We can’t run our machines, and customers are staying away,” lamented Chukwudi Nnaji, a local tailor, in a post on X.

The blackout is largely attributed to the destruction of 13 towers on the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line on July 29, an act of vandalism that has left the state without electricity for several weeks.

Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, Bayelsa’s commissioner for information, called the destruction an “attack on the social and economic wellbeing of the residents” and a sabotage of government investment efforts. Emmanuel Akpa, general manager of the Port Harcourt region at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), expressed his dismay at the increasing vandalism of the company’s installations, noting that 16 towers were destroyed in the Port Harcourt region alone between July and August.

Akpa stated, “We’re pained that this act has put the good people of Bayelsa into untold hardship and has plunged TCN into huge financial debt. In my 33 years of service, I have never seen this kind of colossal damage.”

He emphasized the need for increased collaboration to address the issue and called on the state government to empower community leaders to take responsibility for preventing such activities in their areas. Akpa also urged the Bayelsa government to take decisive action to prevent future occurrences, as the vandalism crisis poses a significant challenge to the region’s infrastructure and economic stability.

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