By: Ike Philip Abiagom
Residents of Ezenei community in Asaba, the state capital, have been forced to live with discomfort and huge costs of running their homes and businesses following the blackout which hit the area since April this year.
The situation, it was learnt, has forced some residents, particularly artisans, who need electricity to ply their trades to relocate from the area.
Those who have no choice but to remain in the community, it was further gathered, have been spending a lot on fuel to power their generating sets to be able to continue to carry out their commercial activities.
A landlord in the community who identified himself simply as Okey, told our correspondent on Thursday that the condition forced him to go and rent an apartment in another location.
He said, “No sane human being wants to stay where there is no electricity when there is an option of getting a better life somewhere else.
“For over seven months, no electricity, and the price of fuel has gone up. Generally, the community is not conducive for people to live in. I had to leave my place to rent an apartment somewhere else”.
When contacted, the Acting Chairman of Ezenei Community Development Association, BEDC Electricity Plc, COLBOL 1 transformer, told our correspondent that the situation had crippled many businesses with “owners opting for factory work to survive.
“Electricity has not been supplied to the community since April this year. Some landlords and tenants have moved out of Ezenei because of the situation. The economy of the community is nothing to write home about”, he said.
He added, “We have made a lot of efforts to repair our old COLBOL 1 transformer since BEDC has abandoned the entire Ezenei Community for Seven months without any solution.
“When we asked BEDC to know what was delaying the connection, they told us that they didn’t have the resources. So, the community decided to contribute money to make sure that the project was done.
“We have done that but unfortunately, the project is being delayed because BEDC is frustrating all our efforts”.
In a protest letter addressed to the Regional Manager of BEDC, Asaba, the residents of COLBOL 1 transformer complained that the power outage had heightened insecurity in the Ezenei Community and, several efforts to ensure the electricity company addressed their plight have been without luck.
The letter, signed by the Chairman , on behalf of Ezenei community, stated that the residents have no other choice than to stage a mass protest soon to express their grievances at the BEDC office in Asaba, Government House and Delta State House of Assembly.
The letter reads: “After exploring all avenues of amity to bring sanity to our relationship by reinstalling electricity supply to our community with no success in view, we have no choice but to organize a protest to let the world know of the parlous state of electricity supply to our towns”.
It described as unacceptable, the total blackout that EZENEI Community residents are currently experiencing and the attendant negative impact on businesses and social activities in the community.
“The gross inefficiency of Ezenei BEDC management is very glaring in Delta State and we are glad that the state Governor has spoken the minds of all Delta people concerning how they feel about the electricity distribution company”.
The community urged BEDC to review its business model and harken to the voice of the people before the company is thrown out of the state as its growing unpopularity can earn it a major public relations disaster.
“The Ezenei BEDC office cannot continue to grandstand when clearly, they are grossly inefficient and incompetent. Ezenei BEDC office is the most unpopular and unwanted office in Ezenei Community today. Ask the market women, small and medium scale business owners about the Ezenei BEDC office, they all have very harsh things to say about them for keeping them perpetually in darkness.
“Ezenei people are very hospitable and accommodating, but we must warn the management of BEDC “not to take the people’s hospitality for granted.
“We advice BEDC not to wait for its current unpopularity to degenerate into a crisis before resorting to a reactive public relations strategy, instead, the company should be proactive and restore the Ezenei Colbol 1 Transformer without further delay”, the community stated.
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