Some electricity consumers under the auspices of Ndi-Igbo United Forum (NUF), a sociopolitical pressure group has declared one day mass protest against the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) across South East geopolitical zone.
Blueprint learnt that the protest which would take place on Monday, January 27, at Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states from 8am to 10am, was aimed at pressing home their demands that the regional power distributor should discard its plan to remove old meters it inherited from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and to put an end to estimated billing.
The Acting National Woman leader of NUF, Princess Chinelo Ogbata, and the National Director of Media /Publicity of NUF, Mr Chieso Aninwagwa, in two press statement, revealed some of the participants in the protest to include labour leaders, activists, women, market men and women, and other members of the society.
They said the protest would take off at 9 Item Street, Umuahia in Abia state; Anambra, Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka; Ebonyi, Awolowo Street, Abakiliki; Enugu, Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu; and Imo, Ama JK, Owerri.
Speaking in an interview, the NUF National President, Chief Godson Ezenagu, said the protest became necessary as they had waited patiently for the EEDC management to take action after several meetings with them but it seemed not working.
“Most people in this part of the country don’t use power up to 2 hours in 24 hours. If you are lucky, you experienced it three hours within 24 hours. As a result, people depend on generator and other alternative power supply. But despite this, they will present you with exorbitant estimated bills at the end of every month. If you don’t pay, they will disconnect you and demand you pay N2000 to be reconnected.
“That is why we said no to their plans to remove stand alone meters without fixing new ones. They should recollect them and replace them with new meters. No customer will pay for it to be reconnected. And we can’t allow them to charge us same way with estimated billing. They can buy meter like PHCN and replace it, “ he stated.
