Residents of
six communities on Igirigiri Road, Odo Ado area of Ado-Ekiti, have fled, on
account of power outage, which crippled social and economic activities in the
last
one year.
They said
life has become miserable and unbearable.
Landlords
urged the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to activate a
transformer repaired by the Chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government, Ayodeji
Ogunsakin, for N2million.
They said
the blackout had led to exodus of tenants, which deprived them of income,
adding that most of them are pensioners.
The
communities are Ayunbo 1, Ayunbo 2, Ayisola 1, Ayisola 2, Umesi and Akinyede.
A source
said youths are planning to protest, but are being calmed down by elders, who
fear the action can become violent.
Addressing
reporters yesterday, the Chairman of Ayunbo 2 Landlords Association, Mr. Amusa
Eleso Atobalo, said the last time residents enjoyed electricity was April 16,
2016.
He said
their transformer had packed up.
Atobalo said
the Ado-Ekiti Local Government chairman, whose office is located in the area,
bailed the residents out by facilitating the repair of the transformer, but
BEDC allegedly refused to activate it.
Others who
addressed reporters at the forum include Vice Chairman, Pastor Bamidele
Olatunji; Secretary, Primate James Adesola, Pastor Samuel Abimbola, Mr. Anthony
Aduloju and Mr. Kayode Eleso.
Adesola said
the community association wrote to BEDC Ado-Ekiti Business Manager on the
collapse of the transformer and its repair by the council boss, vowing that
residents will not pay bills until the transfomer is switched on by the
electricity company.
Said he: “We
cannot be paying for services not rendered. Let them energise the transformer.
If this is done, we will pay our bills. It is the duty of BEDC to repair the
transformer, but they fail to do so. They are frustrating the efforts of the
local government chairman.”
Abimbola
said it was wrong for BEDC to ask residents, who had not enjoyed power supply
for over one year, to pay before the transformer would be activated, adding
that the Federal Government is to blame for privatising power supply.
Spokesman
for Ado-Ekiti Business Unit of BEDC Mr. Ilori Brown said the residents owed the
company and must pay before electricity
would be restored.
He said BEDC
was not aware of the repair of the transformer, adding that it was not carried
along, hence it could not vouch for the integrity of work done on the facility.
Ilori said:
“You don’t just energise a transformer like that. It has to be done by those
certified to do it because anything can happen if somebody not properly trained
goes there.
“We were not
carried along. Nobody told us that they had repaired the transformer. There is
no official communication with BEDC that such a thing has been done. They
should pay what they are owing.”
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