Electricity consumers lament poor services, call for withdrawal of EEDC’s licence

By Afam Aminu Chimezie, Onitsha

South-East electricity consumers have expressed worry over poor supply of electricity and called for withdrawal of licence from the power distribution firm.

Almost one month now there has been very poor supply of electricity in several parts of South-East region leading to billions of losses in businesses and at the home front.

The consumer’s claimed that at this critical period of economic crisis where hyper inflation of goods and services were the order of the day, EEDC had contributed in diminishing their economic fortunes through unnecessary power outage for long hours .

Mr. Oseka Ifeajuna,a businessman who owns a cold room in an interview disclosed that Ñigeria does not want to grow as an economic giant because of selfish interests of owners of power distribution firms.

He reasoned that if the Federal Government under the then President, Goodluck Jonathan had considered some foreign electricity giants like Siemens, General Electric among others just like his predecessor, Obasanjo did to the telecommunication sector power challenges in Ñigeria would have been a thing of the past.

He lamented that high cost of fuel has also contributed to downturn of his business as he has no other alternative to survive in his cold room business.

Mr.James Onyedika ,a barber criticised both the Federal Government and power distribution company,EEDC for short changing Nigerians economically.

Onyedika said that the Federal Government and the EEDC were contributing to mass poverty in the country through their policies and actions.

He described the Federal Government and power distribution company as ” agents of darkness who don’t want like to exist in the country”.

He said that skilled youths are being suffocated in Ñigeria under the present administration.

“This government is hypocritic. They don’t want poor people to survive in this country. How can you ask people to engage in one skill or the other, but at the end come up with one policy to cage the same people you pretend to be helping?”

On EEDC he called for the withdrawal of the operating licence of the power distribution company as it contributes to mass poverty in the South East.

” It is highly unfortunate that a power distribution company managed by an Igbo man is contributing to poverty in the South East knowing that Igbos are industrious people who own several businesses and could be easily affected by poor supply of electricity.”

Mrs.Angela Ofodile a primary school teacher in her opinion condemned EEDC for adding to suffocating poverty in the South East Region of the country.

According to Ofodile,” I can no longer use my refrigerator for storage of food items like meat and other condiments.Some of my food items have damaged due to long absence of else electricity supply.”

“Iunderstand that EEDC is owned by an Igbo man,Sir Emeka Offor and former President Goodluck Jonathan. You see where we are in this country. People who claim to be illustrious Igbo men sabotaging their own people and contributing to poverty in their own region”.