By Edwin Nwachukwu
Umuana Ndume, Abia State January, 26, 2026 — Small business owners and residents of the Umuana Ndume Community in Abia State have sent an urgent “Save Our Souls” (SOS) call to the Abia State Government and the Ministry of Rural Development following months of persistent power outages that have crippled the local economy.
The crisis has hit two critical sectors the hardest: perishable food vendors and sachet water producers, both of whom rely on a steady power supply to preserve goods and maintain production.
The “perennial darkness” has transformed Umuana Ndume from a bustling local hub into a zone of economic stagnation.
Business owners report that the lack of electricity has led to massive inventory loss, adding that meat, fish, and fresh vegetable sellers are forced to discard spoiled stock daily, leading to millions of Naira in lost revenue.
They said that sachet water producers have been forced to rely solely on expensive petrol and diesel generators, making “pure water” increasingly unaffordable for the average resident.
According to them, several small-scale cold-room operators have already shut their doors, unable to keep up with the cost of alternative power.
Chief Nnamdi Ngele, a community leader who with 108scoop.com, called for urgent intervention while
speaking on behalf of the affected vendors.
He noted that despite several complaints, the community remains in total darkness, with no clear timeline for restoration.
“We are losing our livelihoods. We cannot continue to buy fuel at current prices just to keep our fish from rotting. We are calling on His Excellency and the relevant electricity boards to look into Umuana Ndume’s plight before our local economy collapses entirely,” mama Ebere, a perishable food seller cried out.
Ngele, however, said the community is requesting an immediate restoration of Power, while calling for an urgent technical audit of the transformers and lines serving the Umuana Ndume area.
