It has been ten years since the residents of Afikpo ancient city, in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, enjoyed public power supply.
They were completely cut off from the national grid.

The situation, according to them, has brought untold hardship and destroyed their economic life.

Afikpo was first energised in 1976 and its small population at that time reportedly had stable electricity.

However, as the population grew, the power infrastructure became over burdened and started failing.

In a bid to find a lasting solution to the power problem in Afikpo and Ebonyi South senatorial zone where most communities have similar epileptic power supply, the then senator representing the area, Anyim Ude attracted the 133KVA sub-station in Amasiri, a suburb of Afikpo town in 2011.
While work on the sub station progressed at a snail speed, the already existing power infrastructure in the area collapsed about 10 years ago, throwing the entire local government and neighbouring Edda Local Government into perpetual darkness.

Criminals also capitalised on the situation to vandalise and cart away some high tension cables and other electrical parts, making it even more difficult to restore power.

Afikpo town, from which the local government draws its name, is the second largest urban centre in the state after Abakaliki, the State capital.
However, it has suffered a gross decline and economic downturn due to the lack of public power supply in the area for over a decade.

Highlighting this, the lawmaker representing Afikpo East State Constituency, Mr Ukie Ezeali said he spends over N3m to buy fuel to run his businesses in the area.

He lamented that similar businesses had parked up due to the situation, worsening the unemployment situation in the area.

He said the lack of power supply has impacted negatively on the socio-economic lives of the people in the area.