Sen Jarigbe Set To Restore Power To Bekwarra Community After 7Yrs Of Blackout

The over seven years of
power blackout in
ekwarra local

government area of Cross River
state would soon be a thing of
the past as Sen. Jarighe Agom
Jarigbe has concluded
arrangement to restore
electricity supply to the
communities.

For some years now, some
communities including
Obanliku, Obudu, Yala and
Ogoja in the northern senatorial
district, where former
Governor Ben Ayade comes
from, have been out of public
power supply for inscrutable
reasons. This has adversely

affected the socio-economic
activities of the zone just as it
has increased criminal
activities.

Jarigbe, the Senator-
elect, representing Cross
River northern senatorial
district, stated that the
intervention to restore light to
Bekwarra is in line with his
promise to look into the power
supply situation in his
constituency during the
campaigns.

Sources close to the
community said already
contractors have been
mobilised to site for the
planting of over sixty electric
poles for mounting several

rolls of aluminum conductors
stretching from Gakem,
Nyanya through Vandekia to
Markudi in Benue to
reconnect the area to the
national grid.

In a statement, Jarigbe
said the intervention is part of
the on-going efforts to
improve upon infrastructural
development of his
constituents and boost
economic activities and social
life of the people.

According to him, "we
shall continue to do our little
best to improve upon the life of
our people whose major
occupation is agriculture.

"Besides, we shall liaise

with relevant stakeholders
and agencies to see how we
can attract more
infrastructures so that our
people can engage in more
productive ventures to better
their standard of living," he
added.

Lauding Senator Jarigbe
for the gesture, Chief Odey
Simon from Gakim, said the
development will resuscitate
commercial activities which
have been in the lull for
several years due to lack of
public power supply in
Bekwara.

Odey acknowledged the
essence of power, saying "this
singular intervention from
our Senator is one of the best
things he has done given the
multiplier effect this is bound
tousherinto ourlocality.

Also speaking in
Aboucheche, a youth leader,
who simply gave his name as

Agan Sunday, said: "We have
been groping in darkness for
several years now having
been disconnected from the
national grid courtesy of the
ill-fated state government
Independent Power Plant in
Obudu which did not last for
6 months after taking off in
2016.

"As a result of the
failure, vandals capitalised
on the prolonged blackout
and vandalised the line from
here to Benue thereby
prolonging our miseries. We
are happy that our Senator
has done what Napoleon
could not do,” the youth
leader noted.

An official of the Jos
Electricity Distribution
Company, which oversees
Benue where the line is
expected to be linked to the
grid, revealed that the
needed materials and

equipment including
transformers have been
provided to ensure speedy
completion of the project
which he disclosed is under
the purview of Ministry of
Niger Delta Affairs.

The official, who does
not want his name in print,
enjoined the benefiting
communities to ensure
adequate security of the
facilities to guard against
further vandalisation by
criminal elements.

The Paramount Ruler of
Bekwarra, HRH Linus Odey,
had at different fora appealed
to the government to restore
public power to the local
government area, lamenting
that the absence of electricity
has stagnated economic
growth, commerce, and
economic prosperity despite
the abundance of natural
endowments.