Civil Society demands review of BEDC licence over poor performance

 AHEAD of the planned performance review of the distribution electricity companies (DISCOs) by the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) in December 2019, the management of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company  (BEDC) came under fire by members of the Edo Civil Society Organizations.

The protest on some of the main streets of Benin yesterday included members of EDOCSO’s across Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti States.

They called on the federal government not to renew the operational licence of BEDC ahead of its expiration in December 2019.

The protest came on the back at a Media launch of Edo State Media Meter Asset Provider (MAP) in Benin City, Edo State Capital, Executive Director Commercial of the Company, Mr Abu Ejoor,  condemned the planned protest its entirety and see it as a disturbance of public peace by EDCSO, an organization peddling misinformation, after BEDC instituted court cases against some of its members for energy theft and illegal tampering with power equipment.

He urged customers to discountenance such deliberate misrepresentation as there is no expiration of license of BEDC in December as alleged.

He also recalled that the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) had declared that there was ongoing license renewal for any of the 11 Distribution Companies and dismissing calls by EDOCSO’s to sanction BEDC.

But, the Co-ordinator-General of EDOCSO’s, Leftist Omobide Agho, said the mega rally is to throw our support behind the planned performance review of the DISCOs which elapses on December 2019.

“We are demanding the presidency to make the December deadline a reality as BEDC has failed in the distribution of electricity to its franchise States.

“NERC and BPE are suspects in the true assessment of true reality as regard the performance of BEDC since take over in November 2013.”

Omobude who led protesters that clad in weird attire said the mega rally was to throw civil society’s support behind the planned performance review of the DISCOs which is scheduled to elapse in December.

“We are demanding the presidency to make the December deadline a reality as BEDC has failed in the distribution of electricity to its franchise states.”

According to him, “NERC and BPE are suspects in the true assessment of true reality as regard the performance of BEDC since take over in November 2013.”

The spokesman of the group, Leftist Osazee Edigin in a statement, described the move by BEDC as another wild goose chase and accused the management of the company of crass incompetence in service delivery.

He said no amount of blackmail that can stop Nigerians from ventilating their anger against acts that tend to undermine the rights of Nigerians.

He said: “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which handles all matters relating to licensing, duly recognizes BEDC as the Electricity service provider for Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti State.”