Residents of the Igue-Iheya, Idunmwuowina, Ewomore, and Iguosa communities along the Benin-Lagos Expressway in Ovia North East Local Council of Edo State have lamented the over one-year power outage in their locality due to a faulty Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) system.

An angry resident, Kingsley Okorie, accused BEDC of irresponsibility for allegedly abandoning the residents to languish in darkness.

He said: “It is appalling that in the 21st century, BEDC refused to restore power to the affected communities for one year. What a milestone! It is more worrisome that the country is not at war. There is war in Sudan, Yemen, Ukraine, Lebanon, etc., yet these countries have power supply.

“At times, I wonder if the Management of BEDC comprises human beings or robots. Even robots have empathy. How do these people sleep at night knowing that thousands have had no power supply in their homes for a long time?”

Another resident who spoke to The Guardian on condition of anonymity lamented the prolonged power outage’s effects on businesses. He said many tenants have refused to renew their rents and have relocated to other communities.

He said: “These communities have become ghost towns at night. People live in constant fear of the unknown at night. Even those who have chosen the solar inverter option are potential targets of criminals who believe that owners of inverter systems must be wealthy.

“All our attempts to resolve this issue have been met with lies, empty promises and deceit from the BEDC.”

Responding, Mrs Evelyn Gbiwen, Head of BEDC Branding and Corporate Communications, said: “The power outage in Iguosa and environs is due to a failed 7.5MVA power transformer at Iguosa. BEDC management is working round the clock to ensure that the failed power transformer is replaced. Iguosa and other surrounding communities will reconnect to the grid as soon as possible.”