Edo Minority Leader lambasts BEDC over alleged exploitative tendecies
Edo State House of Assembly minority leader, Barr. Charity Aiguobarueghian, has come hard on the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over what he described as systemic exploitation of citizens in the state.
The lawmaker alleged that communities are being compelled to pay additional fees to connect to transformers already provided through constituency interventions.
Giving vent to his accusation, he alleged the BEDC refused to energise some transformers unless the affected communities paid between N3 million and N4 million.
The lawmaker said his community, Evbuomore had endured months of blackout due to a faulty transformer, prompting him to intervene by providing a replacement.
However, rather than to perform its duty, personnel of the electricity company requested to be paid between N3 million and N4 million to restore power.
Speaking with Otuedo N’ Ogbenbe (Benin Journalists Forum) in Benin, Tuesday, Aiguobarueghian, who represents Ovia North-East Constituency I, further alleged that in another community, a newly installed transformer had remained unused for a prolonged period, leaving residents without electricity despite the availability of infrastructure.
“I intervened by providing a transformer, and the same people (BEDC) I’m trying to help are now asking me to pay millions before communities would be connected. This is the anomaly we must address,” he said.
The minority leader warned that such practices deepen hardship among citizens and undermine the purpose of government interventions aimed at improving living conditions.
He called on relevant authorities to urgently investigate BEDC’s operations and ensure that electricity distribution companies are held accountable to their responsibilities.
Earlier, the Convener of Otuedo N’ Ogbenbe, Comrade Edosa Okunbo, commended the lawmaker for what he described as his impactful representation.
Officials of BEDC were yet to respond to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
