Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole has kicked against the N750 monthly fixed charge being collected by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) from its customers in the state, saying it amounts to extortion and exploitation of electricity consumers in the state.
The governor’s grouse is coming on the heel of a call from a Benin based pressure group, South-South Mandate, urging President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently halt what it described as “the criminal activities of feasting on electricity consumers by electricity distribution companies who are stealing in the name of investment.”
Oshiomhole, who held a meeting with the management team of BEDC led by Mrs Funke Osibodu, the Benin Forum, led by Chief David Edebiri and Civil Society Organisations(CSOs) in the state yesterday said fixed charges and estimated tariff by the electricity company was crude and criminal.
While recalling the first meeting with the management of BEDC, Oshiomhole said, “Madam, you will recall the day I first formally received you in my office. I made some factual statements that the essence of privatisation is the increase in the entrepreneurial efficiency. As someone elected to represent the interest of the entire Edo people, I cannot be silent to this type of exploitation by one company because from what I have gathered from the various speakers, it is certain that what is being done in Edo does not exist in other states”.
The group in a press statement signed by its secretary general, Barrister Mathew Edaghase, yesterday also called on the Economic and Financial Criminal Crimes Commission(EFCC), to commence investigations on the activities of the companies.
“While echoes of the agitation against the excesses of the GSM service providers are yet to die down, a fresh chorus has been raised with criminal introduction of obnoxious ‘fixed charges’ regime by the owner of the new electricity distribution companies. Under this arrangement, electricity consumers are made to part with billions of their hard earned money to pay for imaginary services monthly, before they are allowed to the real but inefficient services by the distribution companies that have been busy distributing darkness in lieu of power across the nation,” the group said.
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