Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
After 14 days of blackout in Yenagoa, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), umbrella body of Ijaw youths and management of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company(PHEDC), have reached a truce to end the two weeks siege on the firm’s offices.
The decision of the IYC central zone to vacate PHEDC offices, yesterday and allow its staff to report for work was a fallout of the intervention of the Bayelsa State government through the Secretary to the State, Kemela Okara.
Okara had, in a meeting to broker peace between the IYC Central zone leadership, led by Kennedy Olorogun and PHEDC management, appealed to IYC to sheathe their swords and allow PHEDC staff to resume work so that power can be restored to Yenagoa in 48 hours.
Olorogun, who confirmed the development, denied IYC collected bribe to reopen PHEDC offices, noting that it has decided to give peace a chance because of the appeal from the state government.
“After the meeting with the state government, we promised to meet at the executive level of the IYC and discuss the appeal by the state government. Eventually, we met yesterday and decided to give the PHED a second chance. Since the government said it would compel the PHED to supply adequate electricity to Bayelsa within 48 hours, we hold the government by that promise.
“What we demanded before was at least 12 hours of light in Yenagoa every day. We are waiting to see how the PHED will make use of this opportunity,” he said.