Umoru Henry
22 May 2007
Abuja — OVER 200 residents of Phase II of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Lugbe, Abuja yesterday besieged the Lugbe office of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for the company's failure to provide them with electricity for the past five months.
The aggrieved persons who demanded for the restoration of light to their domain or face their wrath, accused the PHCN of injustice and insensitivity to their plight, even as they accused the authority that the transformer had been packed up for this period.
According to the protesters, PHCN staff had consistently been collecting bills from them amounting to almost N4million (N750,000/month) even without light for this period.
The residents who were at the office as early as 6am yesterday carried placards with inscription: "Since January 2007, no electricity in Lugbe phase II, we are tired please come to our aid", "Help us in Lugbe phase II, 40 weeks no light", Engr. Makoju, we are tired of darkness and injustice".
They locked the only gate leading customers in and outside the premises of the ever busy PHCN office which disrupted business activities throughout the almost eight hours the protest lasted.
The almost eight hours protest was brought to an end following the quick intervention of the police who were immediately drafted to the scene of the protest which featured young and old residents alike of that axis of the estate, but the protesters who vowed that the gate will remain locked until light is restored in their areas, had given PHCN until today to restore the light or face the wrath of the residents.
The residents had earlier staged two similar protests to the office that yielded no result.
According to a resident, Mr. Jafaru Zan who was fuming and threatening fire said, "if they don't do something to restore their light this time around", even as he said that the residents will be left with no option than resort to whatever will be agreed on by their association".
He said that because of darkness in the area which makes it easy for the men of the underworld to perpetrate their heinous acts at night, no night passes without a case of armed robbery in the affected area.
PHCN by the DPO of the FHA Police Station, Mr. S. Yusuf, Chairman of the residents" Association, Alhaji Abba Madu who noted that an ultimatum had been given to staff of PHCN to forward the case to the PHCN Zonal headquarters at Wuse zone 4, Abuja, for an immediate solution, wondered why PHCN reneged on its earlier pledge to replace the bad transformer that was the root of the darkness from the five good ones brought from towns demolished along the airport road.
According to him, "am tired of constantly pacifying and promising my colleagues that things will soon get better.
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