By Prince Woke
Angry residents of several streets in Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt, on Monday, July 28, 2025, staged a protest against the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) over a month-long power outage caused by a faulty transformer.
The affected residents from Wokoma, Wokoma Lane, Dim, Ovim, Obuagu, and parts of Obaziolu streets took their protest to the PHED office on Abeokuta Street, opposite the NITEL office in D/Line, Port Harcourt, demanding immediate action.
The demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions such as “PHED, You Are Supposed to Be Agents of Light, Not Darkness,” “No Light, No Payment,” and “We Are Tired of Paying for Darkness.”
Speaking to journalists, one of the protesters, Collins Ebo, said the community had been without electricity since June 25 and had written several letters to PHED without receiving any response.
“We’ve been in darkness for over a month. Despite numerous complaints and letters, PHED has remained silent. We are here today to demand action,” Ebo stated.
Another protester, George Nwachukwu, recalled a previous incident of vandalism involving the same transformer, during which residents and the former Mayor of Port Harcourt funded its repair without PHED’s assistance.
“This time, the transformer failed again, and it’s clearly PHED’s responsibility to fix it. Yet, they’ve done nothing for almost a month while still issuing bills. They collect over six million naira monthly from our area without supplying electricity. This is daylight robbery,” Nwachukwu said.
A female protester lamented the impact of the power outage on her business, revealing that all the food in her refrigerator had spoiled. “We’re paying bills with no electricity. This is affecting our livelihoods,” she said.
Other residents complained about severe heat conditions and the toll the blackout has taken on their families, especially children.
Although no PHED official addressed the protesters during the demonstration, senior company representatives later held a closed-door meeting with community leaders and promised to resolve the issue within two days.
