Residents of Uga community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday staged a peaceful protest against what they described as outrageous estimated electricity bills issued by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) despite persistent poor power supply.
Addressing journalists, the Chairman of the Uga Community Electricity Committee, Evangelist Johnpaul Ifediba, lamented that the town had never experienced a Christmas celebration with stable electricity.
The Chairman also cautioned FirstPower staff against indiscriminate disconnections without first engaging the community’s electricity committee.
Ifediba, who spoke on behalf of the President General of the Uga Improvement Union (UIU), Chief Romanus Umenze, insisted that residents would no longer pay for electricity they did not consume.
He further urged the distribution company to provide prepaid meters to all customers who had applied for them.
“Whenever EEDC restores power, it stops at Ula, Ekwulobia. Most times, this happens at night. I am usually called to go and ‘pick the light’ by switching it on. I often have to leave Uga for Ekwulobia at midnight. If I don’t do this, there will be no power in Uga.
“They told us the problem is a faulty switch handle. We have complained about this for years, yet nothing has been done. Generally, we do not have electricity up to twice a week, and even when it comes, it does not last beyond five hours,” Ifediba said.
The protesters warned that EEDC officials would no longer be allowed into the community unless electricity supply is fully restored.
According to the residents, the company has continued to overbill them even when power supply is either epileptic or completely unavailable.
They explained that EEDC’s operations in Anambra State are currently managed by its subsidiary, FirstPower Electricity Distribution Limited, which they accused of issuing exorbitant bills even though the community barely enjoys electricity up to twice in a month.
Also speaking, the Councillor representing Uga Ward one, Hon. Onyeka Ezenwa, lamented that the erratic power supply had crippled businesses, affected institutions, and made life unbearable for residents.
According to Ezenwa, EEDC officials issue estimated bills ranging from ₦12,000 to ₦100,000 monthly to individual consumers, while bulk customers who are billed per village receive bills ranging from ₦500,000 to several millions, even when they may not have enjoyed electricity for up to five hours, twice in a month.
“Sometimes they bring light briefly and take it away again. It may come around 2 a.m. when people are asleep, with very low voltage, and before morning it goes off.
“This usually happens towards the end of the month. Then the bills come. If you don’t pay, they disconnect your house and remove your cables. When you go to pay for reconnection, you are asked to pay for the cables, yet they end up using someone else’s cables,” he alleged.
In their separate submissions, Mr. Sunny Ezeajama, a barber, and Mrs. Chidimma Ochiogwu, a businesswoman, said they spend between ₦60,000 and ₦100,000 monthly on fuel and diesel to power their generators, yet are still billed between ₦15,000 and ₦70,000 by the electricity company.
Other speakers Comrade E. E. Elochi, Mr. Umennajiego Ukachukwu, Mr. Ezennia Josiah, Mr. Chibuike Ezeabuzie, Mrs. Ngozi Ozoemena, Nze John Abadibe, Mrs. Uche Madufe, and Mr. Onwuka Ifeanyi appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene and ensure stable electricity supply in the community.
They assured the government and the distribution company that they would willingly pay for power, even under Band A, if supply was reliable.
