From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

The Management of Jos Electricity Distribution Plc has appealed to the Management of the Benue State Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) to unseal its premises that were sealed in the state by the Board to enable the company keep rendering services to members of the public.

The Electricity company made the appeal yesterday in a press statement signed by its Head, Corporate Communications, Dr Friday Adakole Elijah against the backdrop of the sealing of its premises in Makurdi and Gboko areas by BIRS over issues of tax.

Recall that the BIRS had on Wednesday, sealed off all the operational premises of Jos Disco in Gboko and Makurdi, a development which left the management of the electricity company with no option than to disrupt services to forestall what the company described as an avoidable accident.

The statement which attributed the total blackout in the affected areas of the state to the sealing of its company’s premises by the BIRS read thus;

“You may have observed that there is currently no power supply in the Makurdi and Gboko areas of Benue State. This is as a result of the sealing of our operational offices in the aforestated areas today. The sealing had affected our command & control centre and other critical operational offices.

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“The command and control centre manages the switching operations, distribution activities and load allocation, to serve our esteemed customers safely as well as avoid grid system collapse. The offices where work tools and spare parts are warehoused were equally sealed up, making it difficult to carry out some activities aimed at maintaining the power supply.

“The general public may wish to know that allowing our equipment on supply, unmanned shall constitute a great risk with potential accidents to the general public.

” It was on this basis, that the Management of Jos Electricity Distribution Plc decided to interrupt power in the interest of the public to prevent avoidable accidents and equipment failures until the situation is resolved.

“The Management of Jos Electricity Distribution Plc is therefore pleading with the Management of Benue Inland Revenue Services to unseal all the premises sealed as we continue to discuss the way forward on the resolution of the indebtedness of each other, in the overall interest of the good people of Benue State and our Company”.

The company however noted that it has commenced the creation of temporary command and control centres to enable restoration of service where possible for now.

The electricity outfit commended all its customers for their understanding and cooperation, even as it enjoined them to bear with it saying the company was working towards the restoration of services to all the nooks and crannies of the state.