EEDC: What’s the crime of Akwakuma residents?

Akwakuma residents in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State have been experiencing the worst form of injustice, persecution, maltreatment, dehumanization and demonization in the hands of the staff of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) for many years now. Of all the communities in Owerri district, Akwakuma community experiences the worst form of […]

Akwakuma residents in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State have been experiencing the worst form of injustice, persecution, maltreatment, dehumanization and demonization in the hands of the staff of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) for many years now. Of all the communities in Owerri district, Akwakuma community experiences the worst form of maltreatment in the hands of EEDC staff. Throughout a year, Akwakuma residents do not get constant power supply for up to twenty days, but they receive electricity bill every month just like other areas in the state.

Places like Wethedral, Douglas, Tetlow, Royce, Aladinma, Ikenegbu, Amakohia, etc, receive regular electricity supply than Akwakuma residents. Do these areas pay more electricity bill and promptly too, than Akwakuma residents? Akwakuma residents are always accused of chasing away EEDC staff from disconnecting their light, Are they not right to do so?. Nobody feels happy when exploited and treated with ignominy, impunity and injustice.

The problems Akwakuma residents are facing in terms of electricity are caused by the rottenly, corrupt staff of EEDC supervising the area. There are substantiated and verified allegations that EEDC staff in Akwakuma area often vandalize the transformers in the area so as to make the residents tax themselves

as they do whenever their transformers are vandalised, to buy a new one. For instance, this year alone, Akwakuma residents have contributed within themselves, millions of naira and bought five transformers, which were vandalized by the same EEDC officials. Worse still, the transformers in some parts of Akwakuma break down or are stolen every two months. One begins to wonder if Akwakuma is the only area in Imo State that has bad transformers. The residents contribute money from each flat, buy a new transformer, build a strong cage to fortify and protect the transformer, yet it will be stolen or vandalized within two months.

 

Ikenga Odogwu wrote from Owerri, Imo State.