,,,,,,Prolong power outage cited.
By Dawud Ahmed in Lokoja.
The hitherto cordial relationship between staff of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company AEDC in Lokoja and in Kogi state, north central Nigeria and electricity consumers is gradually snowballing into hostile relationship.
Our correspondent gathered that the unhealthy development is due to what consumers described as the persistent and prolong power outage in the area, coupled with the recent hike in electricity tariff.
The Reporters reports that instance of the emerging cold relationship came up recently at Gadumo quarters when a landlord, said to be owing electricity bill vehemently disallowed a staff of AEDC from disconnecting electricity of his house.
Our correspondent who witnessed the charged atmosphere ,reports that immediately the staff mounted lada to cut the electricity, the land lord yelled at him,armed with broom
“What are you doing in my house. If you don’t leave within a minute, I will beat you mercilessly and hand you over the police for intruding into my house.
“What electricity did AEDC give me that is worth paying for. “This is especially in Gadumo quarters that we hardly get up to electricity three times per week,yet all we see is “crazy bill” at the end of every month, enough is enough to this outright cheating,”he shouted.
As if that is not enough, the owner of the house threatened to beat hell out of the staff, with broom, if he dares cut off the electricity of his house.
It, however , took the timely intervention of of some neighbors who doused the tense atmosphere and the AEDC staff left the house in peace but without cutting the light.
In his defence, the AEDC staff said he and his other members were ordered by their supervisor officers to cut off light from the house because the landlord was owing three months electricity bill of over N65,500.
He described the action of the landlord as highly unfriendly, adding every electricity consumer has the right to come to AEDC office to find out the true position of his electricity bill, with a viewing to rectifying any ambiguity.
Feelers from the regional office of AEDC in Lokoja indicates that the prolong power outage is due to shortage of gas among other factors confronting the electricity sector of the country.
A staff of the AEDC in Lokoja, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity on Thursday at Gadumo quarters, said the prolong power outage had thrown the staff, charged with the responsibility of disconnecting electricity of debtors, into dilemma.
“We are confused who to obey, is it our ogas that sent us to go and cut out electricity of debtors or such debtors threatening to beat us.
“Many of us are scared of going to houses of debtors to cut off their light for fear of being beaten up.
“Many of the landlords, even tenants, owing electricity bill are ready to beat us up if we dare disconnect their light.
“They often complain that there is no rationale for them paying huge bills when AEDC does not supply constant and adequate light to make life comfortable for them,”he said.
Our correspondent reports that Gadumo quarters and its environs have no light,running to 36 hours consecutively as at Thursday night (May 23,2024) when this report was published.
Other residents of Gadumo quarters also decried the prolong power outage with a passionate appeal to AEDC to increase gas to the regional office in Lokoja for adequate service to electricity consumers.
