By Peter Ogege
The President-General of the Isoko Development Union (IDU), Prof. Chris Akpotu, has strongly refuted claims that there is no electricity crisis in Isoko communities of Delta State, describing such assertions as a deliberate distortion of reality aimed at undermining the plight of the Isoko people.
Prof. Akpotu made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking on Kakaaki, a television programme on the African Independent Television (AIT), where he challenged statements credited to the Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, regarding the electricity situation in the area.
According to the IDU President-General, the narrative that Isoko communities enjoy stable electricity supply is “completely false and misleading.”
“The claim that there is no power outage in Isoko land is a false narrative. It is an attempt to suppress the truth and undermine the genuine concerns of our people. The reality is that many Isoko communities have remained in darkness for years,” Akpotu stated.
He explained that while the region has experienced epileptic power supply over the years, the situation has deteriorated significantly over the past decade, leaving several communities without reliable electricity.
Prof. Akpotu listed communities including Ozoro, Oleh, Olomoro, Iyede, Uzere, Irri, Oyede, Ofagbe and Ellu, among others, as areas that have continued to suffer prolonged power outages.
“These communities and many others have continued to wallow in darkness. The people know their reality, and no amount of misinformation can change the facts on the ground,” he said.
Reacting to allegations that residents of Isoko communities do not pay their electricity bills, Akpotu dismissed the claim as baseless and unfounded.
“It is a lie that Isoko people do not pay electricity bills. In fact, some illustrious sons of Isoko nation have, on several occasions, paid off accumulated electricity debts running into millions of naira on behalf of their communities,” he noted.
The IDU leader also rejected suggestions that vandalism was responsible for the electricity challenges in the area, questioning why residents would deliberately destroy infrastructure meant to serve their own communities.
“How can a people deliberately embark on a suicide mission by vandalizing facilities meant for their collective benefit? The relevant authorities have long been informed about the deteriorating state of the electricity infrastructure in our communities,” he argued.
Despite his criticism of the Commissioner’s remarks, Prof. Akpotu commended Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, for his responsiveness to the concerns of the Isoko people and his commitment to addressing the lingering electricity crisis.
“Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has demonstrated that he is a listening Governor. We appreciate his commitment and ongoing efforts towards finding a lasting solution to the power challenges confronting Isoko nation,” Akpotu said.
He called on relevant stakeholders and electricity authorities to focus on providing practical solutions to the persistent power outages rather than engaging in blame games, stressing that access to stable electricity remains critical to the socio-economic development of Isoko communities.
