The last is yet to be heard on the row between the Enugu State House of Assembly and the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC.
In a fresh startling revelation, the EEDC alleged that a serving commissioner in the State (name withheld) was involved in power theft.
The company at a news conference addressed by its Head of Operations, Vincent Ekwekwu, and his Communications counterpart, Emeka Eze, in the presence of the Company’s Chairman, Chief Emeka Offor in Nnewi, Anambra State, described the no confidence vote passed on it by the Enugu State House of Assembly as “shocking and unfortunate.”
The EEDC urged Enugu residents to discountenance the lawmakers, assuring of its total commitment to serve the people better, despite several challenges.
”We have been facing several challenges in area of energy theft, metre bypass, vandalism, among others.
“Then very recently, the Enugu State House of assembly passed a vote of no confidence on us and this is a state that is owing the EEDC the sum of N2.6b; we feel that this is unfair”, the EEDC said.
While tracing the genesis of the problem, the company hinted that “the problem started few weeks back, when we demanded that Enugu should pay its debt; the government promised to pay N100m pending when the act is reconciled, we agreed but after three weeks; they never paid. We had no option than to cut their power supply.
“Last Friday, we met with the Governor; he promised to pay N100m and subsequently pay N200m before the end of April.
“While the meeting was going on, we never that the lawmakers were at the same time sitting somewhere passing vote of no confidence against us.
“It’s very unfortunate that they took such step. Enugu government is our biggest debtor among the five South-East States. Imo has been paying their bills; Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi have been paying their bills; only Enugu, we now cut them off and they started blackmailing us.”
The power company further stated that “there are some activities in that state we are not comfortable with.
“For instance, a task force went to a premises being occupied by a serving commissioner, who was enjoying power supply but they paid.
“They disconnected him but on a visit to the same apartment two months later, we saw that light has been restored. We checked from the pole and saw that it was still the way we left it.
“However, we discovered from the back of the building that he tapped light from a nearby hotel, through underground cable.”
When asked whether they brought the matter to the attention of the Governor, the company responded in the affirmative.
On the allegations that the pre-paid metres were configured with intent to dupe residents, the EEDC described it as unfounded, maintaining that the “metres are pre-certified by appropriate government agencies; nobody can change any parametre in that metre.
“The public should not listen to the lawmakers; it is pure blackmail, which arose because the company took step to recover its money.”
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