Civil society groups in Edo State have united to call on the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to cease its oppressive treatment of customers and focus on its primary responsibility of distributing electricity.
They highlighted that numerous areas, such as the end of Etete and streets around Airport Road, along with many others across the state, have been left in perpetual darkness.
This demand was made during a press conference in Benin City, titled “Oppressive Tendency against Edo People by BEDC.”
It is no longer news that the state is grappling with a dire situation of epileptic power supply. Many areas, including the capital, Benin City, have gone without electricity for months, yet residents continue to receive bills and bear the cost of servicing their own transformers. This has brought immense frustration to the people.
The BEDC stands accused of profiting from the people’s suffering by allegedly issuing exorbitant bills and charging exorbitant prices for prepaid meters, with no regard for the hardship this causes.
This oppressive treatment has left the people of Edo crying out for relief, urging the company to restore power to affected communities within two weeks. Failure to do so, they warn, will result in protests at the company’s head office and its branches.
Emmanuel Ogbidi, speaking on behalf of the groups, called on the National Electricity Regulatory Body and the Edo State House of Assembly to rein in the BEDC. He stated that the company’s mischief must be curtailed, as the people have suffered for far too long.
“For years now, consumers in Edo State have been responsible for fixing and maintaining faulty transformers and equipment for the BEDC,” Ogbidi said.
“We contribute money in affected areas to carry out repairs, yet the BEDC still comes at the end of the month to collect bills. They continue to impose estimated bills on innocent consumers, charging thousands of naira even when there is no power supply. This amounts to consistent extortion of the people of Edo. We pay for light, and they give us darkness.”
He further alleged that the BEDC frequently disconnects impoverished communities from the national grid without proper notice, as stipulated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). “In many cases, they don’t even share bills; they simply tell you what to pay or face disconnection.”
Ogbidi also criticised the cost of meters, noting that despite the Federal Government’s directive that meters and installation should be free, the BEDC charges between N150,000 and N400,000 for meters, with additional fees of N10,000 and N15,000 for installation and mapping, respectively.
“Furthermore,” he added, “the BEDC has illegally increased electricity tariffs through the back door under the guise of Band ‘A’ migration. We are giving the BEDC two weeks to do the needful, or we will take over their offices until power is restored to the affected communities.”
When contacted, Mrs Evelyn, the Public Relations Officer of the BEDC, stated that she would need permission from her Managing Director before responding to the allegations.
