I wish to bring to your attention the unfortunate and unlawful activities of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) which have led to perpetual blackout and paralysed economic activities in the entire Ondo South senatorial district of Ondo State.
My heart bleeds as I make this passionate and patriotic appeal to you as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the people’s hope to halt the era of unending darkness. Some of the communities have been subjected to two years of blackout in Ondo South.
This unfortunate situation was foisted on Ondo South by BEDC with its unlawful activities of systemic disconnection of many communities from the national grid due to questionable claims of huge outstanding debts.
Many of the communities have experienced blackout for over 1 year while some areas have been subjected to over 2 years of darkness. The entire six local governments in Ondo South namely Okitipupa, Odigbo, Irele, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Okeigbo are gravely affected.
The BEDC claimed that its unlawful action was necessitated by the huge outstanding debts. The BEDC also claimed that its unlawful action was largely due to the vandalisation of its infrastructure by alleged miscreants. Permit me to emphasise that the claims of huge outstanding debts and unpaid electricity bills are questionable, unrealistic and largely unconfirmed.
I wish to note that the questionable claim of outstanding debts is tied to pre-privatisation era and the regime of fixed charges even with epileptic power supply and weeks of no power supply.
However, most residents and communities have dismissed any indebtedness on electricity bills as they claimed. The defunct PHCN was duly paid all charges.
I also wish to state that the claim of vandalisation of power infrastructure by miscreants is unconfirmed and therefore considered as untrue. Meanwhile, I know that the supposed miscreants, if they truly exist, also desire to enjoy stable power supply.
Permit me to state without equivocation that the action of BEDC to disconnect Ondo South from the national grid is unlawful and it amounts to deployment of powers the BEDC do not have de jure and ab initio. While it is traditional for Discos to disconnect power supply from homes of debtors, it is alien to our country for Discos to disconnect power supply from the entire LGAs in a senatorial district. It is impossible and unrealistic for all households in the local government to be indebted to Disco.
Having gone through the relevant sections of the Power Reform Act, there is no proviso that empowers BEDC to disconnect communities from national grid. Even if there are genuine claims of outstanding debts, BEDC is not empowered by any law to disconnect communities. But unfortunately, the same BEDC has disconnected Ondo South due to questionable and frivolous claims. You may wish to note that this same senatorial district that has been subjected to 2 years of uninterrupted darkness is the home to the
Omotosho phase II Nigeria Integrated Power Plant that is supposed to generate 530megawatts. The NIPP was commissioned by the last administration. It was after the commissioning of the NIPP that you rightly said that across the country, the power plants were not working because of unavailability of gas supply to fuel them to generate power.
Now that the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has provided conducive environment for the availability of gas to fuel power plants which has led to a general improvement in the stability of electricity across the country, Ondo South is still subjected to unending blackout by BEDC.It should be stated that the NIPP project appears to be more of a misfortune than blessing to Ondo South. What an irony!
You may wish to note that BEDC has a history of lawlessness and impunity. The same BEDC was in the news recently for the reported disconnection of Edo State Police Command from power supply. The same BEDC was protested against by monarchs and youths in Ekiti State recently.
I wish to state that throughout this period of blackout, the traditional institutions and youth groups have consistently engaged the BEDC with the hope of reaching an an agreement to end the reign of darkness in Ondo South.
However, it appears that BEDC is rigid on illegality and lawlessness. Likewise, we have engaged with related state government ministries, agencies and boards. However, the engagements have not led to power supply in Ondo South. We have also engaged the National Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) whose responsibility is it to, among others, license and regulate persons and companies engaged in the generation, transmission, system operation, distribution and trading of electricity.
One cannot but mention your intervention in #SaveBaga the saved the lives of thousands of Nigerians from lead poison in Zamfara State. Also, your patriotic intervention in the environmental degradation and oil spillage that have ravaged the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is also note worthy.