By Samuel Oyadongha

The planned ‘Operation Light Up Bayelsa’ programme may be affected by the continued vandalism of electricity facilities by miscreants in the predominantly riverine state as well as the refusal of residents to pay for their electricity consumption.
‘Light Up Bayelsa’ was initiated by the Governor Seriake Dickson’s administration as part of its drive to industrialise and diversify the economy of the state.

Dickson last week said his administration had awarded a number of contracts to connect the eight local government areas with electricity, adding that projects meant to enhance the standard of living of the people would not be left abandoned.

He said: “Our policy is not to abandon any project. No project that will make life more meaningful to our people will be abandoned. For the light in Sagbama, work is going on at the sub-station. We awarded that contract. Already, the investment we have made is to take light to Ofoni community, because we are connecting all the areas in Bayelsa.”

According to him, communities such as Ogbogoro, Akaba, Ogu, Ayama,Famgbe in Yenagoa, communities in the axis of Kolokuma-Opokuma to Trofani in Sagbama, as well as Amassoma, Southern Ijaw, Ogbia local government areas are benefitting from the on-going power projects across the state.

He explained that contract has also been awarded to resuscitate the power sub-station at Angiama in Southern as part of the initiatives geared towards linking up the entire state to the national grid and make life more meaningful to the people of the state.

Though the governor admitted that Ekeremor, Nembe, and Brass local government areas were yet to be connected to power as they are far flung, he however, assured that in due course, they would all benefit from the scheme. He added that by next year, electricity would be extended to all the local government areas.

But the Yenagoa branch of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHEDC, last week, condemned the recent upsurge in the vandalism of its facilities in the Bayelsa capital.

This development, according to the Manager, Public Affairs, PHEDC, Yenagoa, Mr. John Onyi, is affecting its operations in the state.

His words: “the Yenagoa Business Unit has lost 10 distribution transformers ranging from 200 to 500kva to the nefarious activities of vandals.

“The acts include deliberate cutting and removal of copper cables that carry power from the transformers to feeder pillars or between feeder pillars and poles; draining of transformers oil that cools the transformer; cutting of earthing conductors and other miscellaneous acts of vandalism that impact on our service delivery to the public.”

Onyi also decried the non-payment of electricity bills by most consumers in the state, a development, which according to him, has negated business growth in the company.

He said in July, the business unit only managed to collect 30 per cent of the total amount billed; making it difficult to pay for energy received from the generation and transmission companies.

Lamenting the plight of its field workers, he said, “in the course of pursuing our legitimate duties in debt recovery, many communities including some highly placed individuals in the society have formed the habit of harassing, intimidating and physically assaulting PHEDC employees.”

Onyi therefore appealed to consumers to pay their bills promptly to enable the company buy more energy from the generation and transmission companies to serve them better.

He also called on communities to set up vigilante groups to help curb the activities of vandals in the state and boost electricity supply.