Dramatic as young angry barricades Delta Govt House on Blackout

Wednesday Wednesday, the young boiled people of the Okpanam community in the local government area Oshimili in the state of the delta have besieged the entry of the Delta State Government House to Asaba, protesting against prolonged current interruptions and alleged exploits by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (Bedcc).

The demonstrators branded signs with inscriptions such as “Bedc, stop ridiculating us: we pay the bills, we give birth to!”, “Let’s say no to the supply plan of Bedc to Okpanam!”, “Stop the exploitation!” And “We are in the capital territory but we live as slaves, please help us!”

Telling to journalists during the protest, the general president of Okpanam Youth Organization, Lucky Okolo, has attributed the growing insecurity and the increase in crime rates in the community to the persistent lack of electricity.

He accused Bedc of deliberately retaining power, of issuing esteemed invoices inflated to residents and neglecting to update or invest in the community’s electric infrastructure.

The demonstrators presented a list of requests, including a complete survey on the Bedc operations in Okpanam, the restoration of a constant energy power supply within seven days, the implementation of transparent billing systems, the mass deployment of prepaid meters, the creation of a joint supervision task force and the installation of adequate transformers.

In response, the head of the staff of the governor of the state of the delta, Johnson Erijo, praised the peaceful nature of the protest and ensured to the young people that their grievances had been noticed and were taken seriously by the administration of the governor of the sheriff Oborevwori.

He recognized that the Blackout had created serious safety risks, including an increase in criminal activities, and confirmed that the lack of road lighting was contributing to an increase in kidnapping and violence through Okpanam.

Erijo revealed that the state government is in the final stages of the formulation of a legislative framework to allow the reform of the energy sector, exploiting the recent liberalization of the sector of power under President Bola Tinubu.

It expressed optimism that once implemented, the new framework would have attracted independent investors and would end the monopoly of inefficient distribution companies.

“Also here in Government House, we face the same problems: you are not alone. But your governor is proactive.

“We are almost in the final phase to allow a picture that will allow sustainable and responsible energy solutions throughout the state,” said Erijo.

The protest underlines the growing frustration between residents for electricity supply problems in the state of the delta, highlighting the urgent need for complete reforms in the sector of power to face the challenges faced by community such as Okpanam.

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