The outcome of the meeting among members of Edo State Civil Society Organizations, BEDC, NERC with the House committee on Energy and Water Resources. It must be noted that Edo State Civil Society organizations have been on the streets of Benin since on the 17th of March, 2014 demanding: 1.The outright abrogation of the Seven Hundred and Fifty naira (#750:00) monthly Fixed Charge collected by Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC). 2.That meters should be supplied to those who have since paid. 3.That any form of estimated bill should be eliminated without much ado. 4. That electricity distribution should improve drastically to meet consumers demand. The petitioners (Edo State civil Society Organizations) met with Edo State House of Assembly Committee on Energy and Water Resources, Officials of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) led by Mrs. Funke Osibodu and officials of The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) led by Dr Abba Armiyau Ibrahim on the 26th of March, 2014 at Mike Akhigbe Hall, Edo State House of Assembly to resolve the imbroglio cum dichotomy between BEDC and the good people of Edo state.The Representative of NERC tried as much as possible to shift the blame from BEDC to NERC as he said NERC is responsible for tariff not BEDC, Are the consumers not paying to BEDC? BEDC we know. As far as they cannot provide constant power to consumers, NERC or BEDC dont have the moral right to fraudulently collect fixed charge from us. Fixed charge is criminal. Dr. Ibrahim cited Kenya, Ghana and South Africa to justify the Fixed Charge regime but that is too mechanical.Ghana has celebrated two years of uninterrupted power supply but Nigeria cannot celebrate 2 hours. In Kenya and South Africa, light is very constant as interruption of power suppply is an infringement on their rights. Hence they can go extra miles to fight for their rights Benin Electricity Distribution Company is participating in large-scale corruption from exorbitant consumer bills, disconnection of consumers’ power lines without fair hearing, bribery and fraud amongst staff. As we await the outcome of the committee report , we still insist on our demands supra. In the interim, the Edo State Edo Civil Society organizations has suspended the street protest to enable us strategise and plan for the next line of legal action against BEDC if our demands are not met. We shall announced to the public if there is any need for us to protest subsequently. When evil men make bad laws, it is the right of righteous men to disobey them . One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” says Martin Luther King. According the great seal of America “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God” The good people of Edo state are obeying Almighty God by saying caboodle rejectamenta to the fraudulent and extortionary fixed charge. Quod erat demonstradum.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 23:56:32 +0000
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