By Helen Udo.
The lawmaker representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency has announced the commencement of Phase Two of the Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Electrification Rehabilitation and Restoration Initiative, aimed at extending electricity to more communities through the installation of additional transformers.
The announcement was made during a joint meeting with members of the project’s Implementation Committee and Security Committee, where plans to accelerate electricity restoration across the constituency were unveiled.
To ensure residents begin enjoying the benefits of the project without delay, the lawmaker also pledged to pay the required fees to the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) to energise the transformers installed during Phase One.
The energisation process is expected to restore electricity to homes, schools, churches, markets and businesses, providing a major boost to social and economic activities in the constituency.
The initiative builds on the successful distribution of 25 units of 500KVA transformers across the constituency’s 24 wards, alongside the rehabilitation of damaged electricity infrastructure under the first phase of the project.
The intervention is designed to end more than 18 years of power outage, a period during which residents endured prolonged darkness that negatively affected businesses, education, healthcare delivery and overall community development.
According to the lawmaker, the electrification programme goes beyond providing transformers, as it seeks to restore hope, revive local businesses, create employment opportunities, strengthen security and improve the quality of life for the people.
The representative reaffirmed the commitment to ensuring that no community is left behind, promising to continue the project until every ward and community in Ukanafun and Oruk Anam has access to stable electricity.
Residents were also warned against illegal electricity connections and the vandalisation of power infrastructure, with a reminder that the facilities are public assets that require collective protection.
Members of both the Implementation Committee and Security Committee were urged to remain dedicated, vigilant and accountable in executing their responsibilities to guarantee the project’s success.
Responding on behalf of their committees, Chairman of the Implementation Committee, Obong James Ekekere, and Chairman of the Security Committee, Deacon Ndianaabasi Udom, pledged their full commitment to delivering the project and safeguarding what they described as a historic intervention to restore power across the constituency.
