From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji has given the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) knocks over poor electricity supply.
In a Matter of urgent public importance which he brought before members of the state House of Assembly Orji also lamented that the EEDC force Abians to pay exorbitant electricity tariffs for power not supplied.
Rt. Hon. Orji in his presentation, frowned at situations where the electricity distribution company not only leave Abians in darkness for days, weeks and in most cases, months without electricity, yet, it force residents of the state to pay for electricity when it was clear that the inability of the staffers of the power company to fix their faulty power equipment like transformers among others kept the people in darkness.
The Speaker said a situation where EEDC operatives charge his constituents exorbitantly to install such transformers in their various communities after he had personally provided and paid for such transformers which would be installed in the benefitting communities, was worrying.
“My Distinguished Colleagues, beyond the atrocious activities earlier mentioned, you may wish to note that the already encumbered consumers are expected to contribute to repair or replace broken and faulty EEDC equipment and are left to grope in darkness for not effecting the repairs.
“Hon Colleagues, it is my considered opinion that urgent steps be taken to address this ugly situation in order to discontinue the relocation of small and medium scale enterprise clusters in our dear State to our sister States”, the Speaker said.
He further decried erratic power supply, obnoxious estimated billing, delay in repair/replacement of faulty power equipment and non distribution of prepaid metres to electricity consumers as directed by the Federal Government.
He called on his colleagues to condemn the continuous use of Estimated Billing System for Abians contrary to what should be obtainable in the system
After contributions from other members, it was resolved that the Clerk of the House should invite senior officials of EEDC to the executive session of the House.