BIODUN AKOMOLAFE
Akure North communities, Iju and Itaogbolu have challenged the management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc (BEDC) over illegal power cut and crazy bills.
The communities which have began a legal process that would see electricity restored to the communities also want the bills reconciled with quatum of electricity they consumed.
The communities which insisted that they would not pay the illegal bill until they are reconnected to the national grid also warñed the management of BEDC to desist from an attempt that would make them its debt collectors.
Iju and Itaogbolu are the two joined together to form the local government headquarters of Akure North local government council in 1996.
African Business Travels.net learnt that the communities had to employ the option after the electricity distribution company disconnected on Xmas even over an allegedly N71million debt which is however documented as N46 million.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman Community Development Association (CDA) Iju, Dr. Joseph Adamolekun who lamented the ordeal BEDC officials have subjected the community to in the last four months noted that the distribution company is working seriously to destroy the economic development in the community.
Adamolekun who claimed that small and medium scales entrepreneurs in the community being sent of business feared the situation may get worse if the electricity distribution company refuses to restore light into the community.
“BEDC is working seriously to destroy the economy of Akure North local government area of Ondo State by disconnecting the two largest communities in which the local government headquarters is located.
“BEDC officials claimed that we would not have light until we pay our debts. They brought the list of the debtors and amount owed, it was about N20million for Iju. N21million for Itaogbolu and Police Secondary School, N5 million.
“We queried how they arrived at the figures, they told us it was the accumulation of the billings up as at March 31, 2016. We told them that the last time electricity was supplied to the community was December 2015.
“They told us to go and ensure that the debtors among us pay their debts before reconnection.
We equally asked them to explain the rationale behind the punishment meted out to about 2,000 customers and those on prepaid meters when only 368 customers are indebted. These, they are yet to provide answers even as they insisted we must pay before they will listen to our complaints,” the community leader explained.
While community leaders have succeeded in pacifying the youths not to take laws into their hands in attempts to address the issue, Dr. Adamolekun said the community may exploit legal action to determine if BEDC has the right to disconnect customers who are not indebted to it and also if the electricity distribution company has the power to coerce the community to collect debt on its behalf
“We have appealled to our youths to be law abiding in the face of unwarranted punishment from BEDC with the disconnection. We are exploring legal options to know if the Disco has right to disconnect loyal customers because of the indebtedness of few customers and also to know if the company can force us into the labour of collecting debts on behalf of BENC. We have asked our legal advisers to look into these and write to BEDC for responses before knowing the next step to take,” Adamolekun added.
However all attempts made to get the management of BEDC respond to the allegations proved abortive as non of the officals of the electricity distribution cpmpany both in Akure and Benin City was available for comments.
