IPOB and locals confront EEDC about power outages and exorbitant costs.
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company is under fire from the Indigenous People of Biafra, locals, and business owners in the South-East region for frequent power outages and “outrageous billing” in the area.
EEDC
According to research by South-East PUNCH, during Enugu Disco’s power outage, people and business owners in major cities like Onitsha, Nnewi, Obosi, Awka, and Ekwulobia, as well as communities throughout the state’s 21 local government areas, are primarily complaining about what they called “outrageous and irritative estimated electricity billing.”
The pro-Biafran faction, for its part, requested that the governors of the South-East “kick out” EEDC from the area for its “wicked” practice of continuously raising power costs while denying the public access to electricity.
This was mentioned in a statement released on Tuesday by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful.
Residents in the South-East regions of the states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, and Ebonyi are supplied with power by the EEDC.
“It is wicked of EEDC and its owner, Sir Emeka Offor, to keep increasing electricity bill without providing electricity to the people,” the IPOB stated in the statement. The EEDC should be permanently removed from the South-East area and replaced if it is unable to eliminate extortion in their billing system or offer light on the matter.
“We fail to understand how an electrical distribution firm could refuse to supply light while continuing to raise monthly power costs. In contrast to EEDC, several electrical distribution firms in other parts of Nigeria offer more dependable electricity.
“EEDC’s owner, Sir Emeka Offor, is a member of the oppressive cabals in Nigeria that are determined to deprive the Southeast of investments. He and his electrical firm are determined to deprive the Southeast of electricity while also making the people of Ndigbo impoverished through exorbitant electricity prices.
“EEDC is increasing the people’s monthly bill even though they are not keeping the lights on.” Ndigbo are making payments for the light that they do not use. It should no longer be acceptable for the South-East to get electricity without power or to bill for it corruptly.
The South-East governors have been tasked by IPOB to step up to the plate and demonstrate a real commitment to delivering excellent governance, quality services, and a climate that is favorable to investment so that individuals may keep investing and expanding their enterprises.
“Governors should take advantage of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s recent electricity reform and force EEDC out of every state,” the statement said. Every state now has the authority to produce and distribute electricity thanks to the electrical reform. By law, governors in the South-East are free to invite additional reputable electrical providers to invest and offer Ndigbo high-quality, dependable, and reasonably priced power.
“One would have thought that, by now, the South-East governors, infuriated by the paltry supply of light and ridiculous invoicing, would have called in Emeka Offor and his EEDC. Emeka Offor assisted in rigging some of them into posts, as we are aware, but they ought to be conscious of their obligations.
Specifically, with Nigeria’s economy currently affecting everyone so severely, governors must to make sure that they lessen the suffering of the Ndigbo people, which includes providing them with inexpensive and dependable power.
“When other governors are doing these things for their people, our governors are not offering food palliatives, relief from power expenses, free education, or help for their schooling. We’d organize people to protest against the governors and Emeka Offor for not supplying power to the area if they don’t get up and do the right thing.
“EEDC is collecting illegal money without providing electricity, and we are facing excessive heat due to rising temperatures without electricity in the land.” Governors in the South-East need to mitigate the impact of the damaged economy that the APC regimes imposed on Ndigbo.
“If this EEDC keeps refusing to provide energy and extorting us with outrageous electric rates, we expect the governors to throw them out of our region.”
Some Onitsha, Nnewi, and Awka residents, who spoke in separate interviews, claimed that even though their homes haven’t been electrified for months, EEDC officials continue to send them “outrageous” bills. This is in violation of a policy established by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, which also mandated that EEDC refrain from sending them estimate bills or turning off their lights until they provide them with prepaid meters.
The resentful residents, escorted by their landlords, claimed that the EEDC workers’ deliberate failure to provide prepaid meters for customers in the zone is undermining Sir Emeka Offor’s intention to guarantee a consistent and reasonably priced electricity supply to the people of South East.
“We want the EEDC top management to investigate our complaints, allegations, and order for the immediate release of prepaid meters to us in the community to avoid estimated billings,” stated Chukwudi Ikem, a resident of Onwuachusi Street along the Onitsha-Owerri Road in Onitsha.
We have had irregular power supply for up to five times a month since October of last year; in fact, there have been power outages since January of this year. Despite this, we continue to get exorbitant and annoying monthly electricity bills. The community objected to EEDC Enugu and agreed at a meeting, however the actions were fruitless.
“In the past three months, we can’t recall the last time we slept with electricity, but we still receive ridiculous bills.” It’s dark across the entire neighborhood. We’re not arguing that we won’t pay for the light we use; rather, we’re asking them to quit sending us exorbitant estimates.
“They sent me an electricity bill for over N88,000 for just my two-bedroom apartment in January, but they cut the power up to five times in that same month.” Some of us have enormous debts that are due each month; where in Nigeria is someone paying such a charge in a flat? That is the situation we are in.
Stephen Okechukwu, a fun spot operator with a location on Abakaliki Road in Awka, stated, “Our businesses are seriously suffering due to power outages and high diesel costs.” We spend a lot of money every day to power our buildings since the public electricity supply is almost nonexistent.
Due to the electricity companies’ willful refusal to supply prepaid meters to the households, we continue to get ludicrous anticipated billings in the midst of this power outage. Prepaid meters will be a big help in reducing this anomaly.
“People and businesses are facing many challenges these days, and the situation is not being helped by any level of government.” We have been without a respectable quantity of power for more than two months, and we receive astronomical monthly bills. Despite our numerous appeals to the electrical suppliers’ offices, they have stayed resolute, and the situation is becoming out of control.
When reached for comment, EEDC spokesperson Emeka Ezeh stated that low power generation brought on by gas restrictions to the thermal generating businesses is the reason for the ongoing poor power supply that consumers throughout the EEDC franchise region are experiencing.
It would be unreasonable to hold EEDC responsible for a scenario or development that is completely out of its control, according to Ezeh, since it is a chain reaction. Due to its allotment of nine percent of the nation’s total energy production, EEDC is limited in what it may distribute from the national grid.
It’s crucial to remember that all 11 of the nation’s power distribution companies are impacted by this issue; it is not specific to EEDC.
The honorable minister of power and other important players in the Nigerian electricity supply sector are already aware of this scenario.
Regarding the claim of “outrageous electricity bill and extortion,” we would want to make it very clear that EEDC is a highly regulated business that follows the rules set out by the Nigerian power Regulatory Commission, which is in charge of overseeing the sector. If EEDC is perceived to be acting in an unprofessional manner, the corporation will face consequences.
According to the authorized billing methodology, he stated that customers are billed according to the services they have received and their service bands. He also mentioned that if they have any complaints, they can file them through the established NERC-instituted redress mechanism, which allows the company to address their concerns.
“EEDC asks for its customers’ understanding, particularly with regard to the current unsatisfactory state of the power supply, which is not within the company’s control.
“Sir Dr. Emeka Offor, the Chairman of EEDC, is a well-respected and internationally renowned philanthropist as well as a successful businessman who genuinely cares about the people of the South East.” His generosity is attested to by numerous accounts from throughout the nation and the world.
