AFTER THREE YEARS OF DARKNESS, EKID HCDT BRINGS LIGHT TO EBE EKPI AND EBOK ASAK

AFTER THREE YEARS OF DARKNESS, EKID HCDT BRINGS LIGHT TO EBE EKPI AND EBOK ASAK

By Peter Buhari

For more than three years, darkness became a familiar reality for the people of Ebe Ekpi and Ebok Asak communities after the transformers serving them were vandalised. That story has now changed as the Ekid Host Communitiy Development Trust (EHCDT) has stepped in with the installation and commissioning of two new 300KVA transformers.

The project, executed by Ekid Host Community Development Trust EHCDT powered by Frontier and Savannah Uquo Gas Limited followed a needs-assessment process which identified electricity as one of the critical needs of the communities. It is an intervention that deserves commendation because it responds directly to a need that has affected the people for years.

The significance goes beyond the transformers. Electricity supports businesses, education, household activities and livelihoods. For communities that have endured more than three years without functional transformers, this intervention represents a return to normalcy and an opportunity for improved economic and social activity.

The project included the installation of overhead materials, high-tension and low-tension cabling, substation fencing, energy protection systems, feeder pillars and earthing infrastructure. The transformers also underwent complementary testing and a pre-commissioning process, including approximately 24 hours of soaking to optimise their performance before commissioning.

At the ceremony, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of EHCDT, Dr. Macaulay Akpan, expressed his appreciation for the project, particularly because of his connection to the community. He promised that more slots would be made available to members of the community under the Trust’s Social Protection Programme SPP and appealed for the continued support of the people.

Representing the settlor, Mrs. Veronica Akpan, also promised an increase in scholarship opportunities for young people from the area who are willing to pursue their education. It is another indication that meaningful community development must go beyond physical infrastructure and include investment in human capital.

During the ceremony, the Village Head and youth leader appealed for electricity poles and wires to extend the national grid to parts of the communities that are still without power. They also raised concerns over what they described as outrageous electricity bills.

If the EHCDT chooses to support the communities further with poles and wiring, it would certainly be another magnanimous intervention, but the responsibility for properly connecting communities to the national grid ultimately rests with government and the relevant electricity authorities.

Government must therefore do more. The people of Ebe Ekpi and Ebok Asak deserve to have every part of their communities properly connected to the national grid. The Ekid HCDT can complement government efforts, but it should not be expected to take over government’s responsibility.

There is also a message for political office holders and influential sons and daughters of the communities. Communities should not only be remembered during elections. Those who rise from these areas into positions of political influence should also find meaningful ways to give back and complement development efforts that directly affect their people.

The youths were charged during the commissioning to take ownership of the security of the two new 300KVA transformers and ensure they are not vandalised like the previous ones. These are community assets, and their protection must be a collective responsibility.

The story of Ebe Ekpi and Ebok Asak is therefore more than a story about two transformers. It is a story of intervention, hope and what can happen when a development trust responds to a genuine need.

The Ekid HCDT has brought back the light after more than three years of darkness; government must now build on that intervention, political leaders must give back to their communities, and the people must protect what has been provided.

After three years in darkness, Ebe Ekpi and Ebok Asak can finally switch on their lights again. The hope now is that the light stays on.

✍🏽 Peters Buhari
New Born Journalist