By Abasi Ita
Residents of several communities in Calabar are bracing for a gloomy Christmas following the breakdown of key electricity transformers, a development that has plunged large parts of the metropolis into prolonged blackout and disrupted daily life and economic activities.
The development has left many neighbourhoods preparing to celebrate the festive season without electricity, after months of power outage caused by faulty and overstretched transformers serving the affected areas.
Communities hit by the blackout include Ikot Ekpo, Big Qua, Akpandem, Dr Edem, parts of Nsaha Effiom and adjoining streets in the Nyanasang community, as well as Uwanse, Nelson Mandela Street, parts of Atamunu, Inyang Ewa, sections of Hawkins Street, Thomas Henshaw and other areas within Calabar South and Calabar Municipality. Most of the affected locations have reportedly been without electricity for over six months.
The prolonged outage has severely disrupted commercial activities, forcing residents and small business owners to depend heavily on generators. Businesses such as barbing salons, laundries, tailoring shops, welding outfits and cold drink vendors have been worst hit.
Mrs Francisca Okon, who runs a laundry business on Big Qua Street off Muritala Mohammed Highway said the blackout has made operations unbearable at a time when demand should peak due to the Christmas season. She disclosed that she now spends between ₦46,000 and ₦52,000 weekly on fuel, translating to about ₦6,000 to ₦8,000 daily, just to stay afloat.
“This is devastating and draining my capital. I am running at a loss when I should be making profit, because many customers want to travel and need their clothes cleaned,” she said.
In Nyanasang, the community spokesperson, Mr Nsa Uku, said residents had made repeated visits to the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) office in Calabar without any concrete response.
“This problem has become a recurring issue for years. The 500KVA transformer serving our community is over 35 years old and overstretched. It was donated by the late Etubom Bassey Ekpo Bassey when he was Chairman of Calabar Municipality,” he said.
Uku explained that the community recently experienced low voltage on one phase and alerted PHEDC, but the transformer was shut down without prior notice. “When we asked questions, we were told the transformer was faulty and might be repaired and returned by April 2026, with no certainty,” he added.
Mrs Magdalene Ekpo, a tailor in Uwanse, also described the situation as frustrating. “Some streets have light while others don’t. We have been in darkness for over a month. Sewing without electricity is difficult, even with manual machines, and this is our peak season,” she lamented.
Ekpo said she sometimes spends up to ₦3,000 daily on fuel, adding that most of her profit is lost to generator expenses. “Government must hold the electricity distribution companies accountable. This is not rocket science,” she said.
Ms Bassey Edet, a shop owner in Inyang Ewa, said her area has been without power for over five months. “My shop survives only because of my solar-powered fridge. Without electricity, you can’t sell cold drinks or snacks. The welder next to me relies entirely on a diesel generator,” she said, appealing for urgent government intervention.
Residents of Atamunu also blamed the blackout on ageing and overloaded equipment, calling for a permanent solution. They urged Governor Bassey Edet Otu to intervene by providing new 500KVA transformers, noting that existing ones are obsolete and overstretched due to population growth.
Another resident, Mr Victor Asuquo, accused PHEDC of allegedly prioritising communities with prepaid meters. “If you don’t have a generator, you will definitely be in darkness this Christmas. Only God knows when these transformers will be fixed or replaced,” he said.
It was gathered that the affected transformer, popularly known as “First Transformer,” has a history of recurring faults. In 2016, it reportedly exploded, snapping a high-tension cable that fell on a viewing centre and allegedly claimed several lives.
When contacted, the Zonal Manager of PHEDC, Engr Gabriel Modupe, confirmed that the transformer was faulty. He admitted that the equipment was disconnected without prior notice, causing inconvenience, but assured residents that it would be evacuated for repairs and returned by April next year.
Meanwhile, PHEDC said it does not issue advance public notices on power outages in Calabar, citing the risk of vandalism. The Regional Network Manager for Calabar, Engr Tom Udofia, disclosed this at a town hall meeting convened by Hon Stanley Nsemo at the Cross River State House of Assembly.
Udofia explained that announcing outages publicly could expose power infrastructure to sabotage. “If I announce outages publicly, you don’t know who is listening. We have seen cases where just one night without supply led to vandalism,” he said, citing a recent incident at the Federal Housing Estate.
To address communication gaps, he proposed a controlled information system involving ward liaison officers and community leaders. However, the suggestion sparked mixed reactions, with residents accusing PHEDC of using vandalism as an excuse for poor customer relations.
Officials of the State Electrification Agency and Ministry of Power, however, blamed the prolonged blackout on PHEDC’s failure to replace ageing and worn-out transformers, alleging that since NEPA’s transition to PHEDC, emphasis has largely been on revenue generation rather than infrastructure renewal.