Power without relief: Ebonyi villages fault EEDC over prolonged outage

Residents of Obodoaba and Ikpele villages in Obeagu community, Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, have accused the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) Plc of neglect and exploitation, alleging that a prolonged power outage has crippled businesses and social life in the area.

The communities said they have been without electricity for about five years following a fault that developed on Obeagu Transformer 1, which was subsequently removed by EEDC officials.

Despite repeated appeals and financial contributions by residents, electricity has yet to be restored.

Speaking with South East PUNCH, a community leader, Mr Calaminus Ogbuabor, described the situation as devastating, particularly for small-scale businesses that rely on electricity to operate.

“Till now, there is no light in Ikpele and Obodoaba. Businesses that depend on electricity are completely grounded.

“Some residents have even relocated because they cannot survive without power,” he said.

Ogbuabor added that the prolonged blackout has made festive periods especially difficult for residents.

“Every Christmas we remain in darkness, but this year is worse because of the high cost of fuel.

“Only a few people can afford to run generators, while many are left in total darkness,” he lamented.

He alleged that the community met all financial obligations demanded by EEDC, including the payment of over N900,000 deducted from accumulated electricity bills, after assurances that a new 300KVA transformer would be installed.

“After paying the money, instead of giving us a new 300KVA transformer, they brought an old 200KVA one.

“That transformer could not even serve one village, talk less of two,” Ogbuabor said.

According to him, the 200KVA transformer failed within a month due to overload.

He further accused EEDC of diverting the community’s original government-provided 300KVA transformer to another customer.

“They removed our transformer and gave it to someone else.

“EEDC takes transformers from rural communities and gives them to high-value customers, leaving villages like ours in darkness,” he alleged.

Ogbuabor also claimed that EEDC later demanded that the community provide a full drum of transformer oil before reinstalling the allegedly repaired unit, a demand he said has yielded no result more than a year later.

“They told us the transformer had been repaired but that we must provide a drum of oil before installation. Till today, nothing has happened,” he said.

Other residents said they have made several visits to EEDC offices in Nsukka and Eha-Amufu, operated under the MainPower subsidiary, without success.

Beyond the lack of electricity, residents said the blackout has destroyed livelihoods, forcing welders, barbers, cold room operators and small-scale manufacturers to shut down their businesses.

A resident, who spoke anonymously, accused the company of exploiting rural communities through estimated billing while failing to provide basic infrastructure.

“Even when government provides equipment, EEDC takes it over.

“But when it breaks down, the community must buy another one and donate it to them,” the resident said.

The affected villages are now calling on the Ebonyi State Government, the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and other relevant authorities to intervene, insisting that only a 500KVA transformer can adequately meet their power needs.

Efforts to reach EEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Emeka Ezeh, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report on Tuesday.