DSC: Rights Activist Laments Over 16 Years Power Blackout

PRESS STATEMENT

For those unfamiliar with Delta Steel Company (DSC), Delta Steel Township is a residential area for staff members of the former Delta Steel Company, situated on a vast expanse of land between the Owvian and Aladja communities and the Warri River in Udu local council area of Delta state.

DSC was acclaimed as one of the largest steel plants in the African continent upon its commissioning in 1980 by President Shehu Shagari, but presently, the massive steel plant has been permitted to cease operations and has become a mere shadow of its former self, given the typical Nigerian destructive attitude to government establishments.

Those who witnessed the halcyon days of the plant can only lament the devastation wrought by politics, corruption, and human malfeasance. To many veteran staff members of the formerly thriving plant, the facility now represents a shattered dream, not only in its industrial purposes, where it once employed thousands of workers, but also having suffered a total power outage in the steel township, plunging the area into a deplorable state, which will be a key focus of this article.

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Upon numerous agitations by residents in the township seeking the State and Federal Governments intervention, relevant authorities have turned blind eyes and have refused to rescue the situation after 16 years the area last experienced power (electricity) supply.

What should I say, given that two successive administrations under the Delta State Government, namely Gov Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan and Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, successfully completed their two terms as governors? Notably, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan previously worked as a doctor at the Steel Company and resided in the Steel township, which would have led one to expect his administration to prioritize its challenges.

Unfortunately, the plight of residents at the Delta Steel Company Steel Township has recently become a tool for campaign promises, where politicians under its constituency use its situation as their manifesto, promising to restore power if voted for, yet failing to fulfill their promises.

What is the reason behind the Steel township’s prolonged blackout, despite the efforts made to restore electricity to the area?

It was alleged by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) that residents have accrued a contentious and unrealistic power consumption debt of N180 million, resulting from accumulated bills, despite prolonged periods of darkness.

It was later alleged that between 2011 and 2013, officials of PHCN, in collaboration with the Steel Town, established a committee authorized to collect and remit electricity bills, with a total sum of N700 million paid to PHCN until BEDC took over and presented an unrealistic figure, resulting from corrupt practices by the committee within the community, which failed to remit all collected funds to the company.

I would undoubtedly recognize Hon. Hon Francis Ejiroghene Waive, currently serving his second term as Member representing the Ughelli North, South, and Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives under APC, who incorporated the plight into his manifesto during his first and second tenure campaigns to the steel township residents. Following his numerous efforts to illuminate the area, one cannot help but wonder why his promises remain unfulfilled.

The likes of Hon. Egbetamah Ovie Collins, a Member Representing Udu under the APC, was one among other aspirants who also made promises in his manifesto to restore power blackout in the area and I am also wondering why it has yet to be actualized.

While I am appealing to the aforementioned honourable leaders to review the promises made to their constituents, I am calling on the Delta State Government, under the leadership of Governor Rt. Hon. Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, to provide assistance to residents in the Delta State Steel Township by restoring power. As the provision of electricity is a fundamental human right for all Nigerians, efforts should be intensified to achieve this, even if not constant.

While I also extend my congratulations to you, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on your recent award as Best Governor 2024 by ThisDay and Arise TV, in recognition of your exemplary infrastructure development initiatives, there is also an urgent need to redirect attention to other critical areas within the State that will directly benefit the populace, including the restoration of power supply to residents in the Delta Steel Township.

Comr. (Amb) Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen
National Coordinator, Initiative For Social Rights Concerns
And Advancement(ISRCA) AKA “No Justice, No Peace”