By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has called on Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to provide adequate electricity in the Southeast or exit the region for reliable companies to take over.

The call came on the heels of the recent abysmal power supply in the area.

The group in a statement issued on Saturday by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, warned that it will not hesitate to chase EEDC from their offices for failing to provide adequate electricity in the Southeast or it should be ready to exit the region.

The statement partly reads: “Following the abysmal electricity experienced in the South East, we call on EEDC to provide adequate electricity in the area or exit the region for reliable companies to take over.

“EEDC is defrauding her consumers with exorbitant electricity bills without supplying the power. The company has refused to give her consumers prepaid electricity meters but keeps giving illegal estimated bills. In many Communities in the Southeast, EEDC gives community bills running in the hundreds of thousands of Naira. Whether the light was provided or not, any village that didn't pay the illegal estimated bills will have the irregular light supply disconnected.

“Communities buy their own power transformers and electricity cables at the same time pay corrupt EEDC company to link power to the community. Afterwards, EEDC will bill the same village for the same power supply.

“EEDC dismantled some communities’ faulty transformers for repairs and maintenance but failed to return it for years. Some 10 years and some 5 years, till date those transformers were not restored nor seen.

“Emeka Offor and his company EEDC cup is full and we are going to show them that people are owners of the region and they are reaping Ndigbo off with abysmal power supply and exorbitant bills.

“How can our people be paying for lights they did not consume? How wicked is EEDC and its management? IPOB calls on EEDC to stop defrauding our people or exit the Southeast Region or provide lights to the citizens.”

IPOB expressed surprise that the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, on March 25, 2023 signed MOU and “paid a contract sum of over N100B to Emeka Offor and his EEDC to supply 24 hours light in Anambra State.

“After one year payment of over N100billion to EEDC for steady light, Anambra State is still in darkness. EEDC has not provided 6 hours of steady light in a day, let alone 24 hours light. Through this fraudulent arrangement, huge sums of undisclosed sum in excess of 100Billion Naira from Anambra State treasury fraudulently changed hands between Emeka offor and Government of Anambra State.

“Till date, the Government of Anambra State has failed, neglected, and refused to make public the details and terms of this MOU, despite repeated demands from the stakeholders. The fact that the details of the said MOU is shrouded in secrecy left much to be desired. Governor Chukwuma Soludo should have known that Emeka Offor is not a person to be trusted.

“Governor Soludo is being intimidated and threatened not to talk about the money or risk losing his second term bid by Emeka Offor. Prof. Charles Soludo is blindly taking Anambra Government back to the dark days of godfatherism by his evil alliance with Offor.

“After the previous Government of Senator Chris Ngige delivered Anambra State from devilish political godfathers. Prof. Chukwuma Soludo should wake up before it’s too late.”

IPOB further stated that the Southeast power distribution was sold to a Fulani anointed son so that through him they will keep the Southeast underdeveloped since no meaningful development can thrive without reliable and efficient power supply.

It described EEDC as a satanic force of underdevelopment sent by the Fulani Caliphate to frustrate industrialization of Biafra land, noting that the power sector in Nigeria has been decentralized and liberalized, hence States, Local Government Council and private Companies can generate and distribute their own light.

According to the group, the decentralization has made it imperative that the forces of darkness in the Southeast called EEDC must be shown the exit door.

The group added: “The abysmal and unavailable power supply from EEDC will frustrate economic activities and industrialization of Biafra Land. EEDC, therefore, must be kicked out.

“EEDC is the greatest economic sabotage against the people of entire Southeast region.

Firstly, Under the EEDC, the entire South East has been thrown into repeated and unending blackouts because of poor distribution of power infrastructure. Secondly, our people are repeatedly billed and forced to pay exorbitant prices for the light that they never consume. Failure to pay the outrageous bills usually attracts severe consequences.

“Lastly, EEDC indebtedness to the Transmissions Company of Nigeria (TCN) to over N12 billion, led to TCN restricting EEDC from using some of their facilities in Enugu. As it stands, EEDC is struggling with corporate integrity issues and liquidity to run her operations.

“The pertinent question to ask is, "Does EEDC have the capacity to distribute adequate electricity to the Southeast with her grossly insufficient budget?"

“It is obvious that EEDC is fully aware of her limited capacity to deliver steady power yet they keep going round the Southeast defrauding and extorting the Governors and citizens in the name of power supply. The Federal Government has deregulated the power sector. Monopoly in the power sector is over.

“It is either Emeka Offor and his EEDC provide regular power or be kicked out of South East. IPOB will welcome any company that will invest in power generation and distribution to quicken the industrialization and development of the South East.

“IPOB is calling for steady lights in the region by EEDC. If they continue with the abysmal light supply in the South East, IPOB will have no option than to shut down EEDC offices in the South East in the shortest possible time.”

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