Inside Edo
Abudu, Plunged in Darkness: Leaders face backlash over decade-long electricity crisis
Written By: Emmanuel Ikhenebome
05 Sep 2025 01:38 AM
Abudu, Edo – For over nine years, the town of Abudu, the administrative hub of Orhionmwon Local Government Area in Edo State, has been gripped by a relentless electricity crisis, leaving residents in despair despite the region’s significant contributions to Nigeria’s oil and gas economy.
The prolonged power outages have crippled businesses, schools, and healthcare facilities, sparking outrage among residents who accuse prominent political figures—Hon. Patrick Aisowieren, Sen. Neda Imasuen, Dr. Billy Osawaru, Hon. Osamwonyi Atu, and Hon. Daniel Osariemen—of neglecting their plight while prioritizing personal political gains.
Orhionmwon, known for housing Nigeria’s second-largest gas deposit, particularly in Oben, should be a beacon of development. Yet, Abudu remains shrouded in darkness, with no reliable electricity to power its economy or basic services.
The lack of progress is particularly stark given the region’s economic significance, with major oil and gas installations nearby, including a 2,500-barrels-per-day modular refinery, a gas processing facility, and a power plant in Egbokor.
Hon. Patrick Aisowieren, a long-serving representative of the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency for 16 years and current member of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board, has been singled out for his failure to address Abudu’s electricity woes.
In May 2024, Aisowieren celebrated the commissioning of a N248 million electricity injection substation in Amufi, Ikpoba Okha, which boasts a 15MVA 33/11kV transformer to boost power supply and economic activity.
However, no similar initiative has been announced for Abudu, leaving residents questioning why their town has been overlooked despite its economic contributions.
Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South in the Senate, has also faced criticism for failing to secure federal or state intervention to electrify Abudu. Residents argue that his influence in the Senate should have translated into tangible action, yet the town remains neglected.
Similarly, Dr. Billy Osawaru, who in 2022 called the lack of electricity in Abudu a “shame,” has been accused of offering little beyond rhetoric. His promises to bring development to Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode have yet to materialize into meaningful projects.
Hon. Osamwonyi Atu, the Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly and chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, has also come under fire. Elevated to Deputy Speaker on May 19, 2025, Atu’s influential role has not translated into advocacy for Abudu’s electrification, leaving residents frustrated by his apparent inaction.
Likewise, Hon. Daniel Osariemen, the current local government chairman, has been criticized for his disconnect from the community’s needs.
“The council chairman should be spearheading efforts to restore electricity to Abudu, but we are not seeing or hearing of what he is doing on the matter,” one resident told this outlet.
The electricity crisis in Abudu is compounded by a series of unfulfilled promises. In 2021, the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) launched an initiative to install transformers in Abudu and surrounding communities, but the equipment has either been non-functional or inadequate, leaving the town in darkness.
The 2018 Evbobanosa and Abudu Development Plan, once heralded as a roadmap for progress, has yielded no improvements in electricity, roads, or water supply, further deepening residents’ frustration.
The consequences of this neglect are devastating. Small businesses in Abudu are collapsing under the financial burden of generator costs, schools struggle to operate, and healthcare services are severely compromised.
“We are tired of empty promises,” said a local trader. “Our leaders campaign for votes but abandon us when they get to power.”
The ongoing darkness in Abudu is not just an infrastructural failure but a moral one, residents say, exposing the callous disregard of leaders who have benefited from the town’s support.
Orhionmwon’s vast natural resources, including the largest gas deposit in West Africa, have not translated into basic amenities for its people, highlighting a stark disconnect between the region’s wealth and its development.
As Nigeria grapples with a broader energy crisis—where only 45% of the population is connected to the grid and power supply is limited—Abudu’s plight underscores the systemic challenges of inadequate funding, infrastructural decay, and poor leadership.
Residents are now demanding immediate action, including functional transformers, a reliable power supply, and accountable leadership that prioritizes their welfare.
Until the leaders take concrete steps to address this crisis, Abudu’s darkness will remain a searing indictment of their legacy. The people of Abudu deserve better—they deserve light.
The prolonged power outages have crippled businesses, schools, and healthcare facilities, sparking outrage among residents who accuse prominent political figures—Hon. Patrick Aisowieren, Sen. Neda Imasuen, Dr. Billy Osawaru, Hon. Osamwonyi Atu, and Hon. Daniel Osariemen—of neglecting their plight while prioritizing personal political gains.
Orhionmwon, known for housing Nigeria’s second-largest gas deposit, particularly in Oben, should be a beacon of development. Yet, Abudu remains shrouded in darkness, with no reliable electricity to power its economy or basic services.
The lack of progress is particularly stark given the region’s economic significance, with major oil and gas installations nearby, including a 2,500-barrels-per-day modular refinery, a gas processing facility, and a power plant in Egbokor.
Hon. Patrick Aisowieren, a long-serving representative of the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency for 16 years and current member of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board, has been singled out for his failure to address Abudu’s electricity woes.
In May 2024, Aisowieren celebrated the commissioning of a N248 million electricity injection substation in Amufi, Ikpoba Okha, which boasts a 15MVA 33/11kV transformer to boost power supply and economic activity.
However, no similar initiative has been announced for Abudu, leaving residents questioning why their town has been overlooked despite its economic contributions.
Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South in the Senate, has also faced criticism for failing to secure federal or state intervention to electrify Abudu. Residents argue that his influence in the Senate should have translated into tangible action, yet the town remains neglected.
Similarly, Dr. Billy Osawaru, who in 2022 called the lack of electricity in Abudu a “shame,” has been accused of offering little beyond rhetoric. His promises to bring development to Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode have yet to materialize into meaningful projects.
Hon. Osamwonyi Atu, the Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly and chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, has also come under fire. Elevated to Deputy Speaker on May 19, 2025, Atu’s influential role has not translated into advocacy for Abudu’s electrification, leaving residents frustrated by his apparent inaction.
Likewise, Hon. Daniel Osariemen, the current local government chairman, has been criticized for his disconnect from the community’s needs.
“The council chairman should be spearheading efforts to restore electricity to Abudu, but we are not seeing or hearing of what he is doing on the matter,” one resident told this outlet.
The electricity crisis in Abudu is compounded by a series of unfulfilled promises. In 2021, the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) launched an initiative to install transformers in Abudu and surrounding communities, but the equipment has either been non-functional or inadequate, leaving the town in darkness.
The 2018 Evbobanosa and Abudu Development Plan, once heralded as a roadmap for progress, has yielded no improvements in electricity, roads, or water supply, further deepening residents’ frustration.
The consequences of this neglect are devastating. Small businesses in Abudu are collapsing under the financial burden of generator costs, schools struggle to operate, and healthcare services are severely compromised.
“We are tired of empty promises,” said a local trader. “Our leaders campaign for votes but abandon us when they get to power.”
The ongoing darkness in Abudu is not just an infrastructural failure but a moral one, residents say, exposing the callous disregard of leaders who have benefited from the town’s support.
Orhionmwon’s vast natural resources, including the largest gas deposit in West Africa, have not translated into basic amenities for its people, highlighting a stark disconnect between the region’s wealth and its development.
As Nigeria grapples with a broader energy crisis—where only 45% of the population is connected to the grid and power supply is limited—Abudu’s plight underscores the systemic challenges of inadequate funding, infrastructural decay, and poor leadership.
Residents are now demanding immediate action, including functional transformers, a reliable power supply, and accountable leadership that prioritizes their welfare.
Until the leaders take concrete steps to address this crisis, Abudu’s darkness will remain a searing indictment of their legacy. The people of Abudu deserve better—they deserve light.
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