Enugu Traders, Mechanics Protest High Electricity Bills, Ground City Centre

The Okpara Avenue part of Enugu metropolis and other major streets in Enugu were Thursday grounded as mechanics and various artisans doing businesses at Coal Camp, Enugu, staged a peaceful protest to the Southeast regional office of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, over alleged high electricity billings.

They claimed that the bills were skyrocketing everyday, and all efforts made to draw the attention of the distribution company had failed.

The protest caused huge gridlocks in the affected areas.

One of them, a mechanic, who identified himself as Osita, said, “I live in one room, and this last month alone, my electricity bill was N13, 700. I don’t stay in my room during the daytime. And not every evening that we do have light. So, how do they check the bills? EEDC has come to kill us. We shall continue to protest until they change how they cheat us. Every week, they cut our lines, and ask us to pay N2, 000 each to reconnect. They are thieves.”

A mother, Nkechi, who was carrying a placard with the inscription ‘EEDC, Stop Extorting Coal Campers’, said, “I sell waterproofs at Coal Camp. My bill is over N40, 000. What do I get to be given such bills? Every day, they come with new bills. They say that they will give us electricity metres, but not even one person has got any. They are simply cheating us.”

Some of the inscriptions being displayed by the protesters read ‘Say no to high bill from EEDC’; ‘We shall continue to fight until we get what we want’, among others.

One of the protesters, who claimed he was briefed by the authorities of the EEDC after he was invited inside their office, addressed the protesters saying, “We resolved some issues, but we were told to end the protest, and return to Camp where I will brief you. And if we didn’t agree, we return here again on Saturday to continue our protest.”

However, his colleagues booed him, as they demanded immediate answers. As at the time of filing this report, the protesters were marching to the premises of the Radio Nigeria, Enugu. Efforts to speak with the head of the media, EEDC, Mr Emeka Eze, did not yield positive results.