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Declare state of emergency on EEDC over exploitation, says Enugu Assembly

By Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
08 April 2017   |   4:19 am
This is certainly not the best of times for the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) as the Enugu State House of Assembly yesterday called for the declaration of state of emergency on the company over alleged rip off and poor services.

Electricity Pole. PHOTO:csiro.au

This is certainly not the best of times for the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) as the Enugu State House of Assembly yesterday called for the declaration of state of emergency on the company over alleged rip off and poor services.

The law makers also urged other Houses of Assembly in the southeast zone covered by the EEDC to declare state of emergency on the company, even as it called on the federal government to direct the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to stop EEDC from issuing consumers with estimated billings and provide them with prepaid meters.

The lawmakers were reacting to a public outcry that followed a mass protest by residents when hundreds of placard carrying electricity consumers had as early as 7.00am, blocked the entrances of the State House of Assembly in protest over exploitation, poor services among others, being perpetrated by the EDDC.

Led by Eze Ajuluchukwu, a lawyer, they had also demanded the exit of the EEDC from the state, saying the company since inception, has continued to make life unbearable to citizens of the state.

The protesters explained that they decided to cry out because they could no longer cope with the “outrageous billing, epileptic power supply, among other inhuman acts by the electricity distribution company”.

Eze, who described EDDC as an anti human company, stressed, “We are giving them two options; either they give us electricity or they leave Enugu state”

The lawmakers, who arrived for yesterday’s sitting and met the entire area barricaded, shelved the day’s activity to deliberate on the issue of the EEDC, which they said required urgent attention. The law makers further set up a six-man committee led by the Deputy Speaker, Donatus Uzogbadu to conduct public hearing for each of the three senatorial zones in the state on the activities of the EEDC.

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