Give South-East Power Or Get Out Of Our Region – IPOB Warns Enugu Distribution Company, EEDC
Powerful also lambasted the power distribution company for excessive estimated billing of electricity consumers in the South East.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has asked the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to provide steady power supply in the South East region or shut down and vacate the region immediately.
IPOB made the demand in a statement issued on Friday by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful.
Powerful also lambasted the power distribution company for excessive estimated billing of electricity consumers in the South East.
According to the IPOB spokesperson, EEDC is engaging in what he described as a deceptive strategy to sway the people of the South East by claiming that IPOB criticisms over non-supply of power and extortion of their customers was misinformation.
He said that “EEDC forgot that the same people are their unsatisfied customers. EEDC should not shift blame as the reasons why they failed to provide substantial power in the South East.
“EEDC should take responsibility for abysmal power supply and extortion of people. The people have been subjected to pay for electricity that was not supplied.”
Powerful said that for years, people of the South East had been subjected to extortions via over billing and estimated bills for electricity not supplied by the EEDC.
He said that “While Ndigbo are groaning in darkness, EEDC is smiling to the bank as a wicked monopolistic slumlord. The hypocritic and deceptive responses of EEDC on National Dailies to save faces in the South East is a waste of time.
“IPOB members are not foreigners but part of Ndigbo and also victims of the power extortion by EEDC. IPOB criticisms are factual not misinformation as falsely claimed by EEDC in their press statement.
“The only thing that will spear EEDC is to provide our people with electricity, and meters or be ejected out of the region.
“IPOB maintains that Ndigbo are not interested in a hypocritic statement or media banter from EEDC. The company should provide regular power to the people of the South East or plan to exit the region with dangerous outcome.
“Moreso, the company should provide their customers FREE meters as applicable in other areas like Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna and recently in Ondo.”
Powerful demanded that “There should be an end to using criminal technicians to go about extorting and disconnecting people’s lights for not paying unsupplied power bills.”
He stressed that “If EEDC denies they are not extorting money from their customers, they should provide their customers free prepaid meters so that people will pay what they consume.
“If Geometric can provide free meters to their consumers in Aba and other places within a few months of operations, why is EEDC giving estimated bills after years of operations?”
According to him, “EEDC claimed that vandalisation of their infrastructure contributed to non-power supply to some areas. EEDC indirectly encourages vandalism because many communities pay through their nose to EEDC to fix the vandalised infrastructures.
“Many faulty power transformers that some villagers bought by themselves that EEDC took for repairs were never returned to the communities.
“The EEDC claimed that no amount was involved in the MOU signed by Anambra State Government and EEDC. We therefore challenge EEDC to publish the same terms of MOU.
“The EEDC further claimed that their Chairman, Emeka Offor was wrongly portrayed. They claimed that their chairman had a testimonial of good works in the South-East but failed to show any evidence of his good works.
“The EEDC must provide adequate light and free prepaid meters across the South East. All the lazy excuses why EEDC are strangulating economic growth in the South-East will no longer be tolerated.
“If EEDC is finding it difficult to provide power to the South-East region based on the challenges they enumerated in their press release, then they should plan to vacate the South-East for another company to take over before we chase them out of the South-East without remorse.”
