EEDC decries high rate of equipment vandalism in South-East zone

Apparently disturbed by the unholy activities of vandals in South-East geo-political zone, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has called on its consumers to be more vigilant in the protection of electrical installations in the region especially as the yuletide draws nearer.

Making the call on Thursday, the Head of Communications of EEDC, Emeka Ezeh, told reporters in Enugu that the power facilities are being vandalized across EEDC’s network in the zone, stressing that “the menace is always high during the yuletide period, and this is already being experienced.

“No day passes without a case of vandalism recorded in three or more districts,” he added.

According to him, in recent times, millions of Naira had been committed to replacing vandalized materials, a regular practice which had eaten deep into the company’s revenue.

His words: “The effect of vandalism has untold consequences on electricity customers who depend on electricity to carry out their various business activities, as they are subjected to blackout and inconvenienced during the period before the vandalized material is replaced and supply restored.

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“EEDC is, however, not relenting on its effort to reduce the cases of vandalism through its strategic partnership with government security agencies and vigilante groups. This collaboration is, however, yielding a positive result.

“In some cases, investigations have led to the recovery of vandalized items at the residents of these vandals who happen to live among other people.

“These vandals are not spirits and do not operate in the air. They are human beings, our relatives, friends, neighbours and so on, who operate in the same environment.

“We encourage you to say something once you see something. Report any suspicious movement around these power installations. Join hands with the EEDC to stop these vandals before they stop us.”

In another development, the image-maker of EEDC appealed to customers indebted to the company to endeavour to pay their bills so they can enjoy supply during the yuletide, especially communities.

“When customers pay their bills, we will be more efficient in our service delivery and that will translate to customer satisfaction,” he concluded.