Youths from Ososo, Ojah, Ijiranmi and other communities in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State have protested an eight-month electricity blackout, saying the prolonged outage has severely affected businesses and economic activities in the communities.
The protesters staged a demonstration on Thursday at the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the state Ministry of Power in Benin City, carrying placards and demanding urgent intervention to restore electricity supply.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Bernard Gomina said residents had endured months without electricity despite repeated interventions by community leaders and the member representing Akoko-Edo II Constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly, Donald Okogbe.
Gomina said the prolonged outage had negatively affected businesses and commercial activities in the affected communities.
“This protest is meant to bring our plight to the public as we have not enjoyed electricity for eight months. Businesses and commercial activities have been badly affected,” he said.
Another protester, identified as Abayomi, alleged that residents had contributed substantial sums of money to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company on several occasions to facilitate repairs of faulty electricity equipment.
He, however, claimed that the contributions had not resulted in the restoration of supply.
The protester also complained about what he described as excessive estimated electricity bills issued to consumers before the prolonged outage, despite what residents considered inadequate and irregular power supply.
He called on the authorities to consider an alternative electricity distribution arrangement if BEDC could no longer provide reliable service to the affected communities.
Okogbe, who joined the protesters at the regulatory commission, said frustration among residents had increased because of the prolonged blackout.
According to him, the affected communities cut across the two state constituencies in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.
He said the situation had reached a point where authorities should consider alternative arrangements, including the possibility of removing the affected communities from BEDC’s coverage if the company was unable to provide reliable electricity.
The lawmaker appealed to the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission to examine the concerns raised by the communities and find a lasting solution to the problem.
The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Yekini Idaiye, who represents Akoko-Edo I Constituency, was expected to participate in the protest but was reportedly unavailable because of other engagements.
Responding to the protesters, the Chairman of the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr Shittu Shaibu, said the commission was aware of the electricity challenges affecting the communities and was working towards resolving them.
He assured the protesters that their complaints had been noted and would be addressed.
The Commissioner for Power, Paul Osenbo, who also received the protesters at his office, asked them to submit a formal memorandum detailing their complaints.
Osenbo said the ministry was aware of challenges confronting electricity consumers in different parts of the state and assured the protesters that efforts were being made to address them.
A separate report on the protest said technical teams were already working on the affected network and that officials expected electricity supply to be restored by Saturday. That restoration timeline was not included in the account published by PUNCH, and its implementation remains to be confirmed.
The protest highlights the wider economic consequences of prolonged electricity outages in communities where small businesses depend heavily on reliable power for refrigeration, welding, water production, communications and other commercial activities.
For residents of the affected Akoko-Edo communities, the immediate demand remains the restoration of electricity and a resolution of the issues surrounding the faulty infrastructure and service arrangements.
The state electricity regulator and Ministry of Power have now been asked to translate their assurances into concrete action as residents await the restoration of normal electricity supply.
