By Ikenga Odogwu

The  residents  of a section  of  Akwakuma in  Owerri North  L.G.A have been  served their yearly menu by vandals  who had  thrown them  into  pitch darkness for the past  two months  as a result  of  the vandalization  of their  transformer situated at  Akwakuma  market.

The choice of  the phrase, “yearly  menu” is deliberate,  instructive and  apt  because  the residents  of  this section of  Akwakuma  seem to  be the  most vulnerable  to vandals  because they had  been  subjected to this inhumane  and wicked  treatment  for  the past  five years consecutively.

Vandalization of  transformers  rarely occurs in other parts of Akwakuma and  Amakohia, and  in fact all over Owerri metropolis,  but  this EGBEADA  11 KVA FEEDER  has been  the  unfortunate  scapegoat  of vandals.

The most curious  part of  this  sabotage  and  wickedness is that it usually happens  during  the ember months  fueling suspicion and speculation that the  vandals  could be  some  criminal staff of EEDC .

Last year, the same vandalization happened in October. In 2018, it happened in November. In 2017, it happened in September. In 2016, it happened in December. What then is the nexus or connection between these vandalism and the ember months? Why is Akwakuma Market Transformer (that is, EGBEADA 11 KVA FEEDER) hated so much among all the transformers in Owerri district?

The residents of this particular section of Akwakuma began this year with about ₦2,000 as monthly EEDC bill. Today, it is ₦7,112.24 per flat irrespective of number of rooms in a flat. It’s the height of injustice and wickedness for a one bedroom, two bedrooms, and three bedrooms flats to be paying a pro rata EEDC monthly bill.

The worse part of it is that  EEDC  has been exploiting  the  docility and  indifference  and lack of cooperative attitude of the  residents  of the  area to be  intimidating  them. The residents  are not the  type that protest against injustice,  they all  mind their  businesses  giving the  EEDC staff the needed impetus and encouragement  to be  treating them in a most  despicable  manner. 

Related News

Even  in this  era of COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought  a lot of  hardship to the  populace,  the  EEDC revenue  collection staff would  still  disconnect  the residents who do not  pay the  exact monthly  amount on the pretext  of “under payment”. If not for the cowardly and non-charlatan attitude of the residents of this area, EEDC shouldn’t be treating them in this manner. No other part of Owerri is subjected to this degrading and dehumanizing treatment by the EEDC. 

Even  as this  area  of Akwakuma has been  in darkness for the past two months, EEDC monthly bill keeps  coming  with the latest being  ₦7,112.24 for the month of  August  even when they didn’t  use light  throughout  August.

A landlord, Mr. Mahakwe Omemgbeoji, was rushed to the hospital last month after a scuffle with EEDC staff who wanted to disconnect his residence. The man resisted the injustice, and they swooped on him pummeling him to stupor.

On the latest vandalism, some staff of  EEDC have  unofficially  instructed the residents to pay  ₦5,000 per head  for both  tenants  and  landlords in addition to compulsory monthly bill payment, to fix the vandalized  transformer if they  want  their  light  in this area,  otherwise he boasted and  threatened that these  residents  would never  see any   ray of  EEDC light  in the  next  six months. This  wicked  demand  or  levy by EEDC  has confirmed the  allegation or rumour that some  criminal staff of the EEDC could be  the ones vandalizing  this particular  transformer  on yearly  basis.

The residents have been  paying  this levy for the past  five years to  fix  the transformer, why haven’t  EEDC used a part of previous  levy to build  a strong  protective cage  around  the transformer to guard it from  vandals? Why do Amakohia and other parts of  Akwakuma  always  have  electricity unlike our part of Akwakuma? Why are their transformer always protected from vandals unlike our own? What magic wand did Amakohia do that always guarantees steady light to the area? Why can’t same magic wand be applied to Akwakuma Market Transformer?

If  EEDC wicked  staff are looking  for any transformer  to vandalize to get their  usual Christmas bonanza after the residents of the area must have  tasked themselves to replace  the vandalized transformer, why should Akwakuma Market Transformer  always  be  the target year after year? Is it the responsibility of residents to replace a vandalized transformer? EEDC is a private company and the onus or responsibility lies on it to protect its transformers across the South East Region where it covers by fortifying them with strong protective cages. Do communication companies like MTN, GLO, etc, levy their customers or consumers whenever their masks are destroyed or vandalized?

In conclusion, I am appealing to the state government to intervene in this matter in order to guard against a looming cataclysmic protest against   EEDC when the anger and patience of the residents boil over. I am  also  calling on the EEDC headquarters at  Enugu to call  these corrupt  and  wicked  Akwakuma EEDC staff to order  before they bring a lot of avoidable  problems to the  company. A stitch in time saves nine.

*Odogwu, writes from Owerri