Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State House of Assembly on Monday summoned Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) over high tariff and epileptic power supply in the state.
There has been a reduction in electricity power supply in the state in the last few months with increase in tariff charges which prompted the Assembly to summon the company.
The subject came up during the Assembly plenary under a matter of urgent public importance.
Moving a motion on the matter, the Deputy Speaker of the House and member representing Afikpo North West constituency, Kingsley Ikoro, said the company has been charging the masses very high without electricity supply, describing it as unacceptable.
“For instance, I left my house for a month only at the end of the day due to their general billing, they came and brought a bill of N54,000 in a house where no one stayed for a month.
“If you go to our villages, our people are really suffering this. I think it’s high time we invited the owners of EEDC to come and explain to us.
“In Afikpo North Local Government, there has not been light for the past eight years and they have been bringing bills. They have to come and explain to the people of Ebonyi State why they are doing this,” he stated.
Seconding the motion, the Leader of the House and member representing Ezza North West constituency, Victor Chukwu, alleged that company has been extorting the people.
He lamented that in many places in the state, there has not been electricity for long while but EEDC has been bringing bills to pay for light they have refused to supply.
He opined that the people of the state would have gone on protest against the company but for their peaceful approach and urged the Assembly to summon the company.
The Speaker of the House, Francis Nwifuru, directed the House committee on Power to summon the company to explain why there are arbitrary charges and epileptic power supply in the state.
