Enugu community cries out to Senate over one-year blackout

The people of Owerre Umabor community, Eha-Alumonah, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State have sought the intervention of the Senate over one year power outage in the area.

The community presented the matter during an engagement between the Senate Committee on power, steel development and metallurgy and the power consumers.

The Senate committee was in Enugu as part of their 2018 oversight visit.  

Comrade Emmanuel Ugwueze, who spoke on behalf of the community, said despite entreaties and presentations to the EEDC for over one year, there was no hope in sight.

“The transformer servicing our community had issues. After about six months of power outage, they came and removed it for repairs. Four months have also elapsed since then, but nothing has been heard from them.

“We are appealing to the Senate to prevail on the EEDC to do the needful because businesses have been crippled in our community for this past one year,” he lamented.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who led other Senators to the event, had told the power consumers that they were in Enugu to have the pulse of the people on the activities of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC.

He said whereas there were some opinion that the licenses of the discos should be reviewed, the Senate was of the opinion that there areas of challenges should be identified and recommendations made for a way out.

He, was, however, quick to add that the Senate was not comfortable with estimated billing system.

“We want to bring an end to estimated billing. We believe that Nigerians deserve a better deal. If you are doing estimated billing, there is also a scientific way worked out by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.

“So, in all, we need to know how the discos are doing after buying the 60 percent and leaving all of us with 40 percent. Those of us who own the 40 percent need to know what they have done so far,” he stressed.

Responding to further complaints by different communities, which bordered on over-billing and demand for metres, the Senate urged the EEDC to engage community leaders into working out an acceptable modality before installing the bulk-metering system.

Also speaking, the Deputy Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Donatus Uzogbado said the House was presently impressed with the steady progress being made by the company in addressing nagging issues.

Meanwhile, Mr. Paul Okeke, Deputy Managing Director, of the EEDC, who led the EEDC team at the event, said the company was working assiduously to satisfy its customers, assuring it would address all the issues raised.

- Daily Post