YOUTHS PROTEST EIGHT-MONTH POWER OUTAGE IN EDO COMMUNITIES
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By; Sunmola Ganiyat
Youths from Ososo, Ojah, Ijiranmi and other communities in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State have protested an eight-month electricity blackout affecting the area.
The protesters staged the demonstration on Thursday at the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Power in Benin City, carrying placards demanding urgent intervention.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Bernard Gomina said the prolonged outage had severely affected businesses and economic activities in the communities.
He said residents had been without electricity for about eight months despite previous efforts by community leaders and the lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo II Constituency, Donald Okogbe, to address the situation.
Gomina appealed to the authorities to intervene, stressing that the prolonged blackout had worsened the economic difficulties faced by residents.
Another protester, Abayomi, alleged that residents had contributed substantial sums of money to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company on several occasions for the repair of faulty equipment, but the power problem remained unresolved.
He also complained about what he described as excessive estimated bills issued to residents despite the unreliable electricity supply before the complete outage.
Abayomi called for an alternative electricity distribution arrangement if the BEDC could no longer provide reliable service to the affected communities.
Okogbe, who joined the protesters at the commission, said residents were frustrated by the prolonged blackout and urged the authorities to treat the situation as an emergency.
He said the affected communities cut across the two state constituencies in Akoko-Edo and suggested that the communities could be removed from BEDC’s coverage if the company was unable to restore reliable electricity.
The lawmaker said access to electricity was essential to economic development and the wellbeing of residents.
Responding to the protesters, the Chief Executive Officer of Edo SEBCO commended them for conducting the demonstration peacefully and said efforts were already underway to restore electricity.
He disclosed that the technical team responsible for the area was already on site and assured the protesters that power supply would be restored by Saturday.
The Chairman of the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr Shittu Shaibu, also assured the protesters and the lawmaker that the commission was aware of the situation and was working towards resolving it.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Power, Paul Osenbo, asked the protesters to submit a formal memorandum detailing their complaints.
He said the ministry was aware of electricity challenges affecting consumers across the state and assured them that the government would work towards addressing the issues.
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