Akure Residents Shut BEDC Office Over ‘Crazy Bills’

Residents of Akure, the Ondo State capital have stormed the Akure office of Benin Electricity Distribution Company to shut down the building.

Gatekeepers News reports that the residents took the action on Monday over what they termed crazy electricity bill’s.

The protesting residents of Graceland Estate, Oba Ile, Akure North local government said they were being given monthly electricity bill from N70,000 and above.

They carried placards and blocked the entrance to BEDC office, thereby preventing staff from resuming duties.

Military officers on duty intervene to allow some staff to go about their duties.

Chairman of the Graceland Estate, Popoola Martins, said they have paid for prepaid meters but the electricity firm refused to provide metres for them.

Popoola accused the BEDC of only being interested in collecting electricity bills without maintaining facilities or providing new infrastructure.

According to him: “We are here to tell the BEDC that their illegality must stop. We are responsible for buying poles, conductors and even transformer. Their only input is to collect money.

“We are being given bill of N70,000 to N110,000 monthly per house. That is outrageous. The transformer we procured is yet to be installed. We are here for the world to call the BEDC to order.”

Spokesman for the BEDC, Akure branch, Micheal Barnabas, explained that the protesters were not given prepaid metres because they were on band E.

Barnabas said prepaid meters would be made available to customers in band E after customers on band A to C have been given meters.