Commercial Activities Paralyzed As Agbor Residents Protest Epileptic Power Supply
Business and commercial activities came to a halt as residents took to the street to protest poor and epileptic power supply to Ika nation by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).
The protest organized by the Ika Landlords and Landladies Association brought the town to a standstill as they marched through the old Lagos-Asaba road to the BEDC office at Uromi Junction to hand over their protest letter to the company management.
The Landlords’ association, through their chairman, Comrade Vincent Arimokwu and Secretary, Prince Augustine Obaigbena, in a press release said the protest became very necessary as BEDC had refused to address issues of poor electricity supply, estimated bills, over billing of customers, among other issues earlier raised with them in a meeting.
The association noted that despite the step down transformer built to address the issue of poor electricity supply in Ika nation, residents of Ika had continued to experience their worst nightmares in the hand of BEDC.
Mr. Arimokwu said the catalogue of problems contending with the people include, non-supply of the approved pre-paid meters, even when customers had paid, a ploy to enrich themselves through indiscriminate estimated bills, illegal disconnection of wires and reselling of same wires to customers, customers made to pay for purchase and installation of cables and exorbitant bills for installation of transformers for communities.
He said the people of Ika had reached a conclusion that they will no longer be made to pay for any vandalized equipment as the onus of protecting power equipment rests squarely on BEDC and not consumers.
They also maintained that the people will no longer pay for services not rendered and that pre-paid meters should be made available to consumers.
But in a swift reaction, the Public Relations Manager BEDC, Mrs. Esther Okolie said the epileptic power supply was caused by the alleged vandalization of BEDC’s transformers in the area, adding that efforts were being made to ensure a stable electricity supply.
