Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has expressed dissatisfaction with the low power supply by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to Edo State, saying it posed a threat to security in the state.
Speaking at a meeting with the management of the Benin Distribution Company (BEDC) at the Government House, Benin City, Governor Oshiomhole said, “There are a couple of concerns. Sometimes, we have seen some protests, some violent reactions and obstructions and stories about properties being stolen and vandalized, and every day, I am confronted with protests by various communities who are in the dark, either their transformer is not working or it has broken down. There are bills people are paying even without light, or they are being over-billed based on estimates as they have no meters.
“Even the House of Assembly has just spoken to me that they need to spend some money to set up a sub-station that will give more regular power supply. Right now, they are getting less than 4 hours a day in their residential area. That is an arm of government. They have made a request for a substantial investment for us to provide part of the cost in a distribution chain, and when we provide that and they have access to power, how do we get our fund?
“Recently, the Commissioner of Police wrote to me that the Police Headquarters is in the dark, and that is a serious issue because in the Police Headquarters, we have cells where there are inmates. And of course, you have offices. Police is 24 hour operation. Now, the transformer has broken down, and the police headquarters is in the dark. They have informed Benin Disco, and weeks, months, no solution. Now out of desperation, I have to buy, using tax payers’ money to provide a transformer to the Police Headquarters.
“I mentioned this because we used Edo people’s money to buy transformer, and you told me now that they have power. Now, what happens when you generate bills?
“From all our investigations, we believe that if the situation is not arrested, it could get out of control, and we will have ourselves in a vicious cycle. So, I thought that we can discuss these issues, and see how they can be addressed in a way that gives the consumer confidence, and for us, peace and security is number one priority. And of course, I also have some petitions from private companies who are operating, and who are complaining about excessive billing, which affects their production. And it is a common concern that they have expressed.”
Oshiomhole said, “There are also communities in the rural areas who have a running battle with BEDC, and I think in Okpella, they have issues there. I think BEDC ended up disconnecting light from some communities for one reason or the other. So, I just believe that we can’t continue that way. We need to have a conversation to see if we can have a common understanding on the rules of engagement, the obligations of consumers and the responsibilities of the Benin Disco.
Responding, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Mrs. Funke Osibodu said, “since we took over, quite are a number of locations especially factories were given close to 24 hours power. And I think those can easily be verified. Before now, companies had been pushed out of the network, and those were one of the things we quickly went to task on so that employment can improve because when companies are able to do more, employment can improve.
“One other thing that we have done, and I will say it is the first in the country, is what we call regimented load-shedding. Even the current minister, when he came in, raised this as an issue that is important, that people know even if it is not enough, they know what they are getting and when they are getting it. I believe to some extent that we successfully did that. So, we fixed the time for different areas when they will get power, and we do our best to keep to those times. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen that way because of generation, which we will update you on. By and large, in different areas they have different timelines that we give them power and it is quite predictable.”
