Jabi residents decry N17m demand for transformer after two-month blackout

AEDC denies authorising collection

Residents of Jabi-Dakibiyu in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have expressed outrage over an alleged N17 million demand by a purported Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) community agent for a transformer, following a two-month power outage.

A source, speaking anonymously, revealed that despite the prolonged blackout, residents have continued to receive and pay electricity bills. The source also alleged that an AEDC agent in the area directed each household to contribute N10,000 towards raising the N17 million required for the transformer.

“It is unacceptable that in Abuja, the nation’s capital, where the President resides, people are being asked to pay for a transformer after months without electricity,” the source said.

Frustrated by the situation, residents called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the FCT ministers to intervene, describing the demand as exploitative and unjust.

A local trader, Musa Fatima, expressed her distress, accusing AEDC agents of turning electricity supply into a personal business. “It’s unfortunate that AEDC agents in Jabi are using electricity bills to enrich themselves. How can they ask me to pay N15,000 for my shop and N10,000 for my house? That means they expect me to pay N25,000 at the beginning of the year when things are already difficult,” she lamented.

Fatima urged the government to investigate the matter and ensure the provision of essential infrastructure like transformers without placing additional financial burdens on residents.

Reacting to the allegations, the Acting Managing Director/CEO of AEDC, Chijioke Okwuokenye, denied any involvement, stating that the company had not authorised anyone to collect money for a transformer.

“The company has a very strong policy regarding the financing of assets, and anything outside that would not be accepted under regulation,” Okwuokenye said.