Power Supply Returns To Bayelsa Capital, Yenagoa In Two Days After Blackout Since July

The Bayelsa State government has announced that parts of Yenagoa will experience restored power within the next 48 hours.

Residents have been thrown into darkness since late July when about 19 transmission towers supplying power to the state from national grid were vandalised, thereby posing challenges to businesses in the state.

The assurance is coming despite over 250  transformers that have been vandalised across Yenagoa.

The state Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, while giving update on the power situation in the state during a press briefing on Monday, said though the vandalised power towers were not the property of the Bayelsa State government, the state spent its resources to fix it for the benefits of the residents.

She disclosed that the state government would soon inaugurate a task force that will be going round stores, shops and anywhere vandals were hiding to uncover anybody selling second-hand armoured cables.

She urged the community leaders to take the responsibilities of protecting the government property in their areas against vandalisation.

She said, “We are here again to update on the power situation. Like we all know, about four months ago, vandals actually destroyed three towers in Bayelsa State, initially 13 between Ahoada -Mbiama. Later another three went down, a total number of 16 that way, and three in the Bayelsa end, and for the past four months, we have been in darkness in Bayelsa.

“The towers are not the property of Bayelsa State government, all those towers belong to the Federal Government, and they are the one that are responsible for maintaining those towers, but because of the situation we found ourselves, the state government has committed a lot of funds in repairing those towers.

“The update we are bringing is that the power towers have been completed, we will have power this week, we also observed that out of more than 500 transformers we have, about 253 have been vandalised again, some armoured cables removed, we have the responsibility of protecting the government property that we benefit from.

“Some parts of the state will have light, as soon as we hook up to the light, while some will not have light.

“The government will soon inaugurate a taskforce to go round shops and anywhere the vandals are hiding, if we see anybody selling second hand armoured cable, they must be able to tell where they get from.”

Also speaking, the Managing Director/CEO of Bayelsa State Electricity Company Limited, Engr. Olice Kemenanabo, explained that TCN was able to restore power to Ahaoda and are working in Mbiama to connect Bayelsa State.

Regional Manager, PHED in Bayelsa State, Engr. Lawrence Emeyi, appreciated the state government’s effort in fixing the vandalised towers, stating that the company is ready for business in the state.

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