The Afam power transmission station has been shut down by protesting youths from Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers state, with Port Harcourt and its environs thrown into total blackout. Vigil360 gathered that the youths under the umbrella of Oyigbo Youths Assembly are protesting against the refusal by the Port Harcour Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) to supply power to communities hosting the power station.
The youths claimed that as host communities, they are supposed to be exempted from payment of electricity bills but lamented that they were disconnected by PHEDC because of their refusal to pay bills.
Meanwhile, the spokesman of PHEDC, John Oyi has disclosed that the said communities were disconnected because of their refusal to pay electricity bills running into N5 billion. He appealed to the youths to vacate the station to allow for the commencement of normal operation.
“The communities around that Afam have not paid a dime. They currently owe us about five point eight billion naira and they have been enjoying supply. All efforts to get them to understand why they should have been abortive so we disconnected them,” he said.
A source in the River State Government House said the Governor had waded into the matter.
