* Offices deserted
*Managing Director and Management team run from office.
* Parking lot empty of operational vehicles
By Comrade Osaze Edigin
Edo Civil Society Organizations shut down the headquarters of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in a well-coordinated protest in the state capital today, fulfilling the threat it issued last week against the troubled energy company, accused of unfair business activities in the heartbeat of the nation.
The activists have lamented the way and manner the management of BEDC treats citizens in the state and the other three states (Delta, Ondo and Ekiti) where it operates since the past three years of taking over the distribution of electricity.
The issues raised are the issuance of estimated and outrageous bills, deliberate non-supply of meters, high handedness, disrespect for customers, coercion of communities to procure equipment and the alleged use of military personnel that escorts some white expatriate workers of the company to brutalize citizens over electricity bills.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was the disconnection of one Mr. Innocent Okpara in their Ekae business district over alleged non-payment of electricity bills which he had contested overtime and waited for the power company to issue him bills based on his actual consumptions.
While he never resisted his disconnection that fateful day, he requested to hold on to his service cable when the white expatriate working with BEDC allegedly ordered the military personnel attached to him to molest and brutalize him for daring to request for his service wires.
Mr. Okpara has taken steps since by paying part of the bills and demanded that he should be reconnected pending the resolution of his bill’s contestation.
Civil society activists view as very unfortunate that the management of BEDC has demanded that before he is reconnected, he must first withdraw his petitions against the company and the white expatriate that ordered his beating by military personnel.
“We have viewed this as oppression and intimidation in the highest order and have vowed to state that if this is the last vestige of colonialization to overthrow, we shall fight it with the last drop of our blood even if the Federal Government refuses to take steps,” Edo Civil Society Organizations asserted.
These other activities of BEDC against citizens, the organization noted have reached the highest of the heavens that requires “our collective voice to demand the revocation of the license of BEDC which should be taken over for a more competent firm for happiness of us all.”
It would be recalled that Edo Civil Society Organizations in 2016, through their lawyer, Barrister Toluwani Adebiyi had secured a judgment against the 11 Distribution Companies across the country and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to the effect that there should be a reversal of tariff because the process of increment did not pass through legal procedures, but they have since refused to obey the court judgment, a situation that made the activists to stop paying they regard as illegal tarrif.
The Human Rights Groups had in their last three General Assembly Meeting resolved to resume payment of bills commensurate to what they consume monthly.
“The last is yet to be seen as we have declared this phase of the struggle as FESTIVAL OF PROTESTS until the Federal Goverment revokes the license of BEDC whose operations have caused a lot of businesses and individuals hardship and discontentment across their coverage areas. We will not rest in this struggle until Mr. Innocent Okpara is connected back to the network,” ” EDOSCO noted on Monday during the protest.
Funke Osibudu, the company’s Managing Director and her inept management team must be sacked now, the organization further demanded.
As at press time it was not possible for Alltimepost.com to reach the management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company for comments.
