ASABA/Nigeria: Concerned residents of Asaba and its environs in Delta State have issued a strongly worded open letter to the management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), condemning what they described as “inefficiency taken too far” following over three weeks of sustained blackout and erratic power supply across the state capital.
In the letter signed by Godfrey C. Osakwe, fnipr, on behalf of the residents, the community expressed frustration over what it termed prolonged darkness and the absence of clear communication from the electricity distribution company regarding the cause of the outage.
The residents stated that electricity remains a fundamental service that powers homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and livelihoods, warning that the continued outage has inflicted severe economic and social hardship on thousands of families and entrepreneurs in Asaba.
“For weeks, thousands of families and entrepreneurs in Asaba have been subjected to either total blackout or epileptic supply so erratic it can hardly be described as service delivery,” the letter read.
Beyond the outage itself, the group decried what it described as BEDC’s silence on the matter, questioning why, in an era of instant information dissemination, a distribution company would fail to officially brief its customers on the reasons behind sustained darkness.
The letter further raised allegations that, despite the poor or non-existent electricity supply, estimated bills are still being issued to customers, particularly those without prepaid meters. It also cited reports that some field officers allegedly insist on what residents described as arbitrary and unrealistic payment demands, sometimes threatening disconnection when consumers question the figures.
“If true, this practice is not only insensitive but unjust,” the letter stated, asking pointedly: “On what moral or regulatory basis are consumers billed for services not rendered?”
The residents demanded a comprehensive public explanation for the prolonged outage, concrete steps being taken to restore stable electricity to Asaba and neighbouring communities, and a clear timeline for resolution.
They stressed that their demands were not for special treatment but for accountability, transparency and responsible service delivery, noting that BEDC willingly undertook the mandate to distribute electricity in the region and must therefore fulfill its obligations competently and honestly.
The group also called on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to urgently investigate the situation and ensure that consumer rights are protected, warning that silence in the face of prolonged inefficiency only deepens public distrust in institutions.
“This letter is not written out of hostility but out of civic responsibility,” the residents noted, highlighting the mounting costs of generator use, increased living expenses for families, students studying in darkness, and the struggles faced by hospitals and small-scale industries.
Among their specific demands, the residents urged BEDC to issue an immediate public statement explaining the cause of the outage, provide a clear restoration timeline, suspend estimated billing in affected areas during the blackout period, sanction any staff found engaging in coercive or unethical billing practices, and accelerate the metering of customers to address controversies surrounding estimated billing.
“The patience of the people is not infinite. But neither is their commitment to constructive engagement in doubt,” the letter concluded. “Asaba deserves better. Delta State deserves better. Nigerians deserve better.”
As of press time, there had been no official response from BEDC to the concerns raised by the residents.
