A member of the House of Representatives, Representing Afikpo North/ South Federal Constituency, Idu Igarewey, yesterday called on President Mohammadu Buhari to urgently review the licenses granted to Electricity Distribution Companies in the country, particularly the one of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC.
Idu stated this during a Town Hall meeting he had with his Constituents in Ukpa Town Hall in Afikpo North Local Government Area, noting that President Buhari should ensure total withdrawal or cancellation of the licenses of incompetent DISCOS.
He said EEDC is incompetent and incapable of providing quality service to the people especially in the south east zone of the country.
“We should lay the blame where it is. For today, government is no longer responsible for the distribution of power, it has gone to private hands. In our own case it is EEDC. So, if something has gone to a private hand and if that person is not providing the service, then that person should be held responsible. So nobody should hold government responsible, whether state or federal government, the proper person to hold responsible is EEDC”.
“The point I want to make about EEDC is that they lack the capacity to do the job, they are completely out of their depths, they have been unable to invest in infrastructure and I am very sure they must have deceived government into being giving them a licence. They are completely incompetent and I see it as a systemic problem with the company”.
“I am recommending that the federal government should review the licenses granted to distribution companies. I am not making a blanket condemnation of all of them, some of them are quite responsible. I do my work in Abuja and I think that Abuja distribution company is quite responsible.
“When you review you see the good and bad aspect of what you are reviewing and that is what I am recommending. The federal government should review the discos to see those that cannot go on with this business” He stated.
The Lawmaker who expressed outrage at the poor power supply to his constituency lamented that many small and medium scale businesses in the area have closed down due to poor power supply.
He noted that the situation had also led to loss of hundreds of jobs by the youths and further worsening the unemployment and economic situation of the people.
Mr Igarewey said the situation forced him to slam a N100m suit on the Company at the Federal High Court in October last year.
“Infact, out of my frustration with them, because I have done everything possible, I have gone to court against EEDC. In suit No, HAM/10/2017, Hon Igariwe Idu vs EEDC and three others. Why I have brought this suit is to enable them to redeem themselves, the other reason is to let ordinary citizens know their rights. I am claiming hundred million from them”.
The lawmaker said he was forced to go to court after all his efforts to make the EEDC improve on its service to the area proved abortive.
But in a swift reaction, the spokesman of EEDC in Ebonyi State, Chinedu Ilo told DAILY POST that the company had improved power supply to the area from what it was before it came on board.
“I want to correct an impression, first of all is that the power transformer that is serving not just Afikpo but all through from Nkalagu to Ezzamgbo got burnt. And it was published in the dailies. Our office did publish that to tell our customers what happened and also to tell our customers to bear with us while we work it our with the federal government because the power transformer is not ours, it is the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN’s transformer. It is not our responsibility to fix it. But as a concerned stakeholder we are working with the Federal Government to ensure that the issues is fixed but it is not our duty to fix it” He added.
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