The residents of Issele Uku, headquarters of Aniocha North Local Government Area have expressed frustration over the unreliable power supply in the town, stating that they were tired of relying on generators for electricity in their homes, offices and business premises.
Led by the Issele Uku Development Union (IDU), under the leadership of its President-General, Mr. Offordile Ugeh, the community staged a protest at the Asaba Regional Office of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to demand a more consistent and reliable power supply.
Offordile, while stating their grievances to BEDC, said that electricity supply in Issele-Uku has completely collapsed, even after being upgraded from Band D to Band B in the 11KV line, with enormous financial obligation of about N18 million monthly on the community.
The president-general explained that as a result of the prevalent darkness, crime rate in the commercial nerve centre of Aniocha North local government area has increased, with transformers being vandalised, kidnapping and other forms of robbery taking place almost on daily basis.
“There is tension in our town and the community leadership may not be able to manage the situation for long, hence we are calling on you as the delegation of the traditional ruler, HRM Agbogidi Obi Nduka to do something urgently”, he said.
While responding, the Regional Head of BEDC, Asaba Zone, Mr. Gboyega Ogunlejika explained the challenges of the 11KV Feeder that feeds Issele-Uku and Ubulu-Okiti, saying that as the true state of things, Issele-Uku is on Band C of the 11KV Feeder and not on Band B as the indigenes were made to believe by some field officers.
Ogunlejika explained that the company is currently facing issues with load limitations, forcing them to prioritize Band A areas before distributing the remaining supply to other bands.
As a result, he indicated that it was unrealistic for Issele-Uku to remain in Band C, which is meant to receive 12 hours of power daily. Instead, he suggested re-allocating Issele-Uku to Band D, which would provide eight hours of power per day, with a commitment to improve reliability as the power lines are repaired and upgraded.
He also recommended that the community consider switching from the bulk metering system to individual metering. “Although the meters are supposed to be provided free of charge, the BEDC is unable to supply them to every household”.
To address this, he advised that residents could apply for meters through the Meter Access Provider (MAP) and pay for them as they purchase energy. For those unable to afford a meter, they would be transitioned to the Estimated Billing System.”
He assured the delegation that the company would review the entire arrangement and communicate the appropriate billing system for the community, outlining the different options, including prepaid, postpaid and bulk payment systems. He said that the company’s long-term goal is to move all areas to Band A, which provides 20 hours of daily power. In the meantime, he assured them that the company would work to keep Issele-Uku in Band D, ensuring eight hours of power daily, given the current limitations caused by load and downtime.
