‘We’re tired of paying for darkness’, Lugbe residents protest blackout

Residents of Lugbe in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in FCT Monday stormed the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) office in the area to protest epileptic electricity supply. The placard-carrying protesters with inscriptions “Enough is enough; No light but much bill,” “No light, no good life,” “Are we paying for light or darkness?” among others, […]

Residents of Lugbe in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in FCT Monday stormed the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) office in the area to protest epileptic electricity supply.

The placard-carrying protesters with inscriptions “Enough is enough; No light but much bill,” “No light, no good life,” “Are we paying for light or darkness?” among others, chanted “bring back NEPA” in top gear, saying power supply was far better before it was privatized. 

The residents claimed they had been bearing the cost of fixing transformers, which they alleged AEDC officials vandalise to extort money from unsuspecting community members. 

“We are tired of paying for darkness” said Muhammad Nasir Shinkafi, who said the services rendered by the company were not commensurate with the huge electricity bills it charges. 

“We cannot be supplied electricity for 10 days in a month and we pay for 30 days. We are paying for darkness,” Shinkafi, who led the protesters, lamented. 

He said people had been rendered homeless and environment polluted as residents have resorted to using generators due to perpetual darkness. 

“Using generator is dangerous. We are polluting our environment by ourselves. Some people are made homeless because of generator, when it catches fire. 

“Our bill is increasing and we are using nothing…We have some houses that had been disconnected for the past five years and they are still being given electricity bills, he said. 

Responding, a senior AEDC official in Lugbe Business Unit who addressed the protesters called for calm and assured that their complaints would be addressed. 

He, however, debunked the claim that AEDC officials vandalise power cables to extort money from community members, saying the knowledge of electricity is not domicile in AEDC alone, 

“Other people can come and remove cables if they have the knowledge of electricity,” he said.