Nsukka—As the power outage in Nsukka town and its environs in Enugu State entered its eighth day yesterday, the residents have pleaded with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, to restore electricity to their areas.

The residents complained that the blackout had adversely affected economic activities in the areas.

Mr Samuel Obiora, a business centre operator, said the blackout had affected his business so much that his profit had taken a plunge since the power outage began.

This, he said, was because he had to rely mainly on his generating set with the attendant cost of fuelling it.

“I have been running the business at a loss for the past one week. The worst thing is that customers have refused to understand since at a slight increase in cost, they will not come back the next day.

“Government should intervene to ensure that normal power is restored. I will be forced to close shop if at the end of this week the blackout continues,” Obiora said.

Mrs Jennet Izundu, who runs a frozen meat shop, said that she now purchased smaller quantities of meat she could sell for the day as a result of the blackout.

“There is no way I will leave the generator on overnight when I have closed for the day. I am losing some of my customers who come in the morning to buy frozen meat and chicken. I urge PHCN to expedite action in restoring power supply to Nsukka town,” she pleaded.

Mr Teresa Ugwuoke, a housewife, said the blackout had forced her to cook everyday as she could no longer store cooked food in the freezer.

“The price of kerosene is now between N95 and N120 per litre as many residents now depend on kerosene to light their domestic lamps.

“Government should ensure that light is restored within the next 24 hours as residents have suffered enough,” Ugwuoke said.

The PHCN Nsukka Office Manager, Mr Chris Okonkwo, however, said the problem was not limited to Nsukka town alone.

He explained that other parts of the country were affected as result of the ongoing maintenance of some major power stations.