Sanitation tragedy: Ben Udo residents escape death as electricity poles fall

High tension cables that fell accross the street

The residents of Ben Udo Street in Uyo were thrown into pandemonium on Saturday September 26 as some residents who were undertaking the monthly sanitation exercise in their neighbourhood, narrowly escaped death as two electricity poles fell almost on some residents who stood at close range. An eye witness who identified himself as Mr. Tony told our reporter that while one of the trees by the fence of Adiaha Obong Secondary School was being trimmed as its branches constantly caused the high tension cables to spark, a branch of the tree dropped on the cables which and eventually one of the nearby poles fell, causing another one (wooden pole) to break and fall across the street, blocking vehicular traffic.

Another eye witness, Mr Bassey David of no. 3 Ben Udo Street, testified that no fewer than ten residents carrying out the sanitation exercise on the street were at very close range and were almost hit by the two poles, but not for the cables which diverted the direction of the poles from where people stood. “The poles almost fell on the people that were working here, look at this place, people were here when it began to fall but the cables dragged the poles to another direction, although the cables still dropped on some persons but I thank God there was no light,” he said.
As at the time our reporter visited the scene of the incidence, men of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company who were immediately contacted had arrive to inspect the extent of damage and quickly swung into action by detatching the cables from the poles and clearing the street for smooth traffic. Also, officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission went to inspect the scene and ensured proper flow of traffic along the street.
Other residents and passers-by frowned at the use of wooden electricity poles, noting that it causes danger since there is no guarantee of such poles surviving effects from soil and weather. They also decried the poor state of electricity supply in the area, which they said have not enjoyed electricity as the case in many parts of Uyo including a part of Nwaniba road and Ewet Housing Estate. They however called on the relevant authorities to do something about their plight and install good electricity poles and restore power to the area soonest.