A video that has been making waves across social media captures the fiery moment a group of women physically blocked officials from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria from disconnecting their electricity supply, despite the fact that they had barely seen any power in months.
In the clip, the women, who expressed themselves in Yoruba, made their frustration known in no uncertain terms. “We have not had light yet you still want to disconnect our wire? For three months you have not given us power. We all sleep outside now,” one of them said, voicing what was clearly a community-wide grievance that had been building for a long time.
Rather than back down, the women planted themselves right beside the ladder the PHCN officials had brought along to climb the pole and carry out the disconnection. It was a simple but powerful act of defiance. You want to use this ladder? You are going through us first.
Things got tense when one of the officials attempted to physically push one of the women out of the way. That move backfired instantly. The other women closed in around him, making it abundantly clear that nobody was touching that pole today.
The video has since stirred strong reactions online, with many Nigerians siding firmly with the women. The sentiment is easy to understand. Being billed and threatened with disconnection for a service you have not received in three months is a particular kind of frustration that needs no translation, whether you speak Yoruba or not.
PHCN is yet to respond publicly to the incident.
Watch the video below:
