Protesting youths from various communities in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State took to the streets on Thursday to express their frustration over an eight-month power outage. The protesters, who carried placards with different inscriptions, staged a protest at the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Power in Benin. They claimed that the prolonged blackout had crippled economic activities and stalled development in the affected communities.
The protesters, led by Bernard Gomina, stated that despite interventions by community leaders and the member representing Akoko-Edo II Constituency, Hon. Donald Okogbe, the communities had been without electricity for eight months. Gomina said the protest was meant to draw the attention of the authorities to the hardship being endured by residents of the affected communities. He added that businesses and commercial activities had been badly affected by the outage.
Another protester, Abayomi, alleged that the communities had contributed huge sums of money to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) on several occasions for the repair of faulty equipment, but the issues remained unresolved. He also lamented the payment of outrageous estimated bills for the epileptic supply they received before the outage and called for an alternative power distribution company if BEDC was finding it difficult to meet their needs.
Donald Okogbe, who joined the protesters at the commission, said the people were frustrated by the prolonged outage. He stated that the affected communities cut across the two state constituencies in the local government and that the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Yekini Idaiye, would have joined them but had other engagements. Okogbe stressed that power was essential for economic growth and the wellbeing of the people, urging the authorities to treat the matter as an emergency.
Okogbe suggested that it had become necessary to consider an alternative arrangement if BEDC could no longer provide reliable power, and appealed to the commission to explore the possibility of removing the affected communities from BEDC's coverage. The protesters were assured that efforts were underway to address the situation. The Chief Executive Officer of Edo SEBCO commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct and disclosed that the head of the technical team for the area was already on site.
The Chairman of the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr Shittu Shaibu, and the Commissioner for Power, Paul Osenbo, also addressed the protesters, assuring them that the commission was aware of the situation and was working to resolve it. Osenbo advised the protesters to submit a memo detailing their complaints, saying the ministry was aware of the challenges confronting consumers across the state and would address the issues.
The protesters' demands are expected to be addressed by Saturday, according to the Chief Executive Officer of Edo SEBCO. The commission and the ministry have assured the protesters that power supply would be restored soon. The incident highlights the challenges faced by communities in Nigeria due to inadequate power supply and the efforts of residents to seek resolution to such issues.
Key points
- The eight-month power outage has crippled economic activities and stalled development in the affected communities.
- The protesters are seeking an alternative power distribution company if BEDC is unable to meet their needs.
- The authorities have assured the protesters that efforts are underway to address the situation and restore power supply by Saturday.
