Some residents of Makurdi, the Benue capital have expressed discontent over the unending months of epileptic power supply from the Jos Electricity Distribution Company, (JEDC), which they said have paralysed businesses and ruining some aspect of the fun of Christmas celebrations.
Those worst hit were residents and business owners around Gboko road, George Akume Way, Nyon layouts, Judges Quarters, Terwase Agbadu, New GRA, Gyado Villa, and some other parts of the town.
Some of the aggrieved residents, particularly business owners, who spoke to our correspondent in Makurdi on Sunday, threatened to stage protests to the JED Regional Office along Otukpo road if the company fails to address the situation soon.
The residents who expressed worry over the epileptic electricity supply accused JED of outright negligence and insensitivity to the plight of its customers.
A businessman, Mr Anthony Ugah appealed to the Federal Government to revisit the privatisation of the power sector “because it is becoming obvious that the sector fell into the hands of investor who are not prepared to render services.
“It is obvious from our experiences in the last four months. Those of us on George Akume Way, Breweries, Judges’ Quarters and a host of other communities in Makurdi town hardly get three hours of power supply in a day.
“This has been going on since the end of August 2024. Within this period we have been operating with our personal generators for electricity amid high cost of petrol. Countless business owners have shut their businesses because of lack of electricity.
“Even the Christmas was celebrated in darkness. As we speak now there is no electricity supply. People lost food items that were supposed to be preserved in freezers especially meat that are usually shared within this time of the year by local thrift societies. I can tell you in all honesty that countless families could not preserve food because we hardly enjoy four hours of electricity in a day.
“In all of this the management of JED never told us why we are in perpetual darkness. And when some of up pressed, we were told privately by some JED personnel that the Circuit Breaker at the BBL Injector Sub-Station which supplies electricity to the effected parts of the town were bad.
“This is the height of negligence of their customers. That is why we have resolved that we would protest this against this act of inhumanity to draw the attention of the authorities.”
Reacting to the development, the Regional Manager JEDC Makurdi, Comrade Ojochide Agbata regretted the light situation in some parts of Makurdi saying they are doing their best to fix the problems to ensure improvement in power supply.
Agbata who explained that they are having issues of grid collapses and low power supply said “the energy we supply is transmitted to us, it’s generated and transmitted to us by the transmission company.
“The truth is that the allocation we have from the National grid cannot carry the entire Makurdi at once. So we have to load shade.
“Secondly, we have feeders that are categorized as Band A feeders and band A feeders, by the regulator policy, we are not supposed to supply them light less than 20 hours. They have minimum of 20 hours of supplies and then 24 hours. By the time we don’t meet up with the number of hours, at least that minimum of 20 hours, the company will be sanctioned.
“Those on Band B have a maximum of 18 hours but those areas like George Akume way, Nyon and others, we have a problem at our injection substation. The relay that is controlling the injection substation is bad and we have ordered for it and we have not gotten it the moment. When we get the relay and fix it, the supply there will improve.”
Speaking on the complaints concerning the rising bills charged residents from the electricity company, the manager said “The bills are not rising. We are doing our best, we are not happy about the light situation, we sorry for the inconveniences our customers are going through but they also need to up their own party of the bargain by paying their bills.
“There are customers who are still paying 3,000 up to today for a whole month divide that by 30 days, many others don’t pay more than 5,000 for a whole month.
He attributed the problems in the power industry to the Nigerian factor where people don’t want to pay for utility, “Sometimes, when its time to pay for services it becomes a fight, customers will carry knife, some will carry dagger to pay. How can my service to you be progressive.”
He further assured that JEDC is working round the clock to improve the power supply and called on the general public to always pay for services to enable the company serve them better.