By Dickson Pat
A major power outage has hit Port Harcourt, Akwa Ibom, and parts of southern Nigeria after the Aba/Itu 132kV transmission line tripped, cutting off electricity supply to millions. As Residents and businesses in Uyo, Eket, Itu, and Ekim have been thrown into darkness following a major power outage caused by a wire cut on the Aba/Itu 132kV transmission line, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED, has announced.
The latest outage underscores the fragility of Nigeria’s power grid, which has struggled to provide consistent supply despite ongoing reforms.
Consumers have expressed frustration over the development, citing the heavy economic burden imposed by outages.
Affected areas are also concerned about the timeline for restoration, as TCN has yet to give a definite deadline for repairs.
PHED, however, assured customers that it is monitoring the situation closely and will restore supply immediately after TCN completes repairs.
“All inconveniences are regretted”, the company added.
The incident comes at a time when Nigeria’s power sector is grappling with wider system constraints, including gas shortages, transmission bottlenecks, and liquidity challenges that continue to hamper reliable electricity delivery.
However, the TCN has disclosed that its technical crew was immediately deployed to track down the fault and commence emergency repairs.
“Our maintenance crew has promptly responded to the situation and is working diligently to rectify the fault and restore power supply to the affected areas”, Mbah assured.
The company also tendered an apology to customers who have been plunged into darkness.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and assure that power will be restored as soon as the repairs are completed”, the spokesperson added.
The incident highlights the fragile state of Nigeria’s power transmission network, with outages on major transmission lines often cascading into widespread supply disruptions across multiple states.
