EEDC is collapsing our industries, extorting our people--- Enugu consumers' cry out

www.odogwublog.com reports that Entrepreneurs, industrialists as well as private consumers of electricity in Enugu North Senatorial Zone of Enugu State, today decried huge electricity bills charged them by the  Enugu Electricity  distribution Company, EEDC, stating  it has forced many small and medium scale enterprises in the zone to close shop.

Several stakeholders from the zone made the attestation  at the ongoing public hearing organized by the Enugu State House of Assembly on ' exorbitant and billing by estimation ' charged by EEDC on residents of the state.


The Chairman of Udenu Local Government Transitional committee, Chief Frank Ugwu who is also an industrialist pointed out that the inadequate power supply as and high tariff has forced many a company to close shop.

Ugwu also also alleged that the bills continue to  sky-rocket even when there was severe and inadequate supply  to the  area and appealed that companies and individuals be metred to curtail deliberate extortion of electricity consumers by  EEDC officials.

In the same vein,  Chief Omeke, the Managing Director of  PK Oil, lamented  that his company was forced to shut down over high tarrif from EEDC ,yet the bills continued coming while they are out of business.

Like the industrialists, community leaders that spoke at the public hearing painted a gory picture of how they are charged heavily without the commensurate power supply.

A community leader from Nsukka Local Government, Mr. Onyekachi Ugwu lamented thus: "they give us light for one week and three weeks black out; they give us exorbitant bill.  We want the House to save us from the hands of EEDC.  If we are pushed to the wall, we may be forced to break the law."

Mr. John Offor from Uvuru in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area pointed out that the bills they get is so much that they pay as much as N1.2 million monthly, whereas Chief Uwakwe Ezeja, Transitional Chairman of Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area in his submission pointed out that EEDC is syphoning his people psychologically and economically with staggering bills and epileptic power supply.

"They are siphoning our people psychologically and economically.  They supply epileptic power but charge outrageously," Ezeja said pointing out that the bulk metre they gave them runs so fast that within thirty minutes, N100,000.00 is gone.

The Transitional Chairman of Igbo-Eze South, Dr. Fide Odo said that he has been pleading with the youth in the local government not to go on rampage over the EEDC high-handedness.  He narrated that youth numbering about 100 storm ed the council headquarters and were spoiling for a showdown over the egregious billing but that he pleaded with them.

In his own presentation, Mr. Ken Ike from Aku in Igbo-Etiti lamented that for 10 years his community was cut from the national grid because of high electricity bill.

While asking that every hamlet in their area be provided with prepaid meters, Igwe Remi Nwodo from Udenu Local Government Area urged standard organization to make sure that the meters are of high quality and international standards.

In his speech at the occasion, member representing Nsukka East at the House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedu Nwamba alleged that some people are making threatening phone calls to the committee organizing the public hearing but said that they are not deterred as they are determined to protect their people from extortion.