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Residents of Makurdi, the Benue capital, have condemned the electricity blackout attributed to Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) Plc, saying it has subjected innocent consumers to undue hardship.
The residents, who spoke with journalists on Saturday in Makurdi, urged the company to restore power supply and resolve its dispute with the Benue Government without disrupting electricity supply to other consumers.
JED staff withdrew their services on Wednesday following allegations that some youths invaded the company’s Makurdi office, assaulted and abducted personnel and took away four vehicles, which were later returned.
A resident, James Oguche, urged JED to adopt a targeted approach by limiting any lawful disconnection to the facility directly involved in the dispute rather than imposing a blackout on other consumers.
Mr Oguche said electricity consumers should not bear the consequences of disagreements between a distribution company and the government, particularly when their businesses and daily activities depend on regular power supply.
“JED must restore power supply, uphold the law and protect innocent consumers. Innocent consumers must not suffer for the sins committed by a few,” he said.
Judith Audu, another resident, said the blackout had affected small businesses, hospitals, educational institutions and other essential services, worsening the economic difficulties faced by residents.
Ms Audu also expressed concern about electricity metering and billing, particularly for consumers without prepaid meters.
She said prolonged power outages could create uncertainty over the bills of postpaid customers, especially those subjected to estimated billing.
According to her, consumers deserved clear information on how their bills would be calculated during the period of interrupted supply.
Emmanuel Bem, another resident, called on JED to explain the scope of its actions and outline measures to protect affected consumers from unfair billing.
Mr Bem acknowledged the company’s responsibility to protect its infrastructure, enforce payment obligations and ensure the safety of its personnel.
He, however, stressed that such responsibilities should be exercised fairly and proportionately, without unnecessarily disrupting electricity supply to customers unconnected with the dispute.
Mr Bem urged relevant electricity regulatory authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the dispute and ensure that consumers’ rights were protected.
He said allegations of electricity theft, meter bypass or other violations should be addressed through appropriate regulatory and legal procedures.
He also urged JED to explore available dispute-resolution mechanisms with the Benue Government to facilitate the restoration of power supply.
Similarly, Jude Terwase appealed to the company to prioritise dialogue and restore electricity to affected areas pending the resolution of the dispute.
Mr Terwase said residents deserved reliable electricity, transparent billing and fair treatment, insisting that innocent consumers should not bear the consequences of the disagreement between JED and the state government.
He questioned the justification for a widespread blackout and called on the company to clarify whether its actions complied with applicable electricity regulations.
Mr Terwase also sought clarification on the protections available to postpaid customers who might receive bills during prolonged interruptions to electricity supply.
JED reportedly serves more than 500,000 customers in Makurdi.
(NAN)
The presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, Architect Peter Agada, has criticised the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration’s 90-day action plan to ease the cost of living, describing it as a campaign strategy that does not reflect Nigeria’s economic realities.
Agada told reporters in Abuja that the government had introduced several economic interventions without achieving the desired results.
The criticism followed the announcement by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, that the National Economic Council, NEC, had approved a 90-day plan to address the rising cost of living.
Agada argued that the government should consider a Labour-direct ward-to-ward development strategy, which he said could reach Nigerians within 60 days.
“Labour-direct the ward-to-ward strategy remains an option that can capture all Nigerians within 60 days of implementation. We said 60 days; about 20 days are gone before the elections,” he said.
He urged the government to engage individuals with practical solutions to improve the economy, particularly at the grassroots level.
According to him, the government should incorporate the Labour Direct Information Network into its proposed monitoring dashboard to track projects, employment, production, feedstock, outputs, taxes and revenue through a single application.
Agada also questioned the effectiveness of previous government measures, including subsidy interventions, fuel price reduction proposals and the removal of illegal levies.
“I think that I align with those who opined that the economic team of Mr. President has failed to address Nigeria’s numerous economic challenges,” he said.
He added that the government’s repeated announcements had raised doubts about the effectiveness of its economic management.
“All his intervention plans, including the reduction of pump price, which did not go in line with NNPC and CNG, and he also talked about the removal of illegal levies, and nothing was done,” Agada said.
The YPP candidate questioned the timing of the 90-day plan, arguing that its implementation period extended beyond the forthcoming election.
“These promises back and forth are for Nigerians to believe and vote them back into office,” he said.
“If you believe in the rules of the game they are playing, there are just 85 days to the election, and you are saying a 90-day timeline to cushion the cost of living. So after the election, what happens?”
Agada further alleged that previous interventions announced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration had failed to deliver the expected relief to Nigerians.
He cited proposed funding for manufacturing, micro, small and medium enterprises, conditional grants, grain and fertiliser distribution, agricultural production and rice farmers as examples of earlier measures.
He also questioned the decision to remove tariffs on food imports, arguing that the policy had failed to bring food inflation under control.
The YPP candidate noted that other announced measures included funding for compressed natural gas, CNG, infrastructure development and an increase in the minimum wage.
Agada urged Nigerians to scrutinise the government’s latest economic proposals and demand accountability for previous commitments.
He said the proposed monitoring dashboard should include monthly employment figures to establish whether government interventions were creating jobs.
“Let us look at these things critically: if he says he is looking at a raft of measures now to be able to change what he has cost in the past three years, how feasible is it going to be? And that is why we are saying that Nigerians need to be circumspect; we need to hold government to account,” he said.
He maintained that without measurable results, the 90-day action plan could amount to a political strategy ahead of the 2027 general election.
High cost of living: ‘It will yield no result’ – YPP’s Agada faults Tinubu
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