Benin, Jan. 4, 2019 (NAN) The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) says it has reconnected 42 communities to the national grid within its franchise states of Delta, Edo, Ondo and Ekiti States.
The BEDC spokesman, Mr Tayo Adekunle, disclosed in a statement on Friday in Benin, South South Nigeria that the communities were reconnected to the national grid in November 2018.
« This evidently negates the notion in some quarters that the BEDC has not been responsive to community-related issues.
« We will continue to partner with communities without electricity supply to address their challenges, provided they follow the necessary steps for engagement, » Adekunle said.
Giving a breakdown of the communities, he said that 25 communities in Delta were reconnected.
Adekunle listed the communities as: Onicha Uku under Asaba Business Unit, Ovwodokpoko in Isoko, Ephiephphor in Otor Udu, Idama estate, Phase 11 in Asaba and Ogbe-Ohu in Agbor.
Others are: Ukpiovmu, Ughevnughe Oghior, Okirika and Otujeremi also under Otor Udu Business Unit.
The spokesman said that in Asaba, the Federal Housing Estate was reconnected; Ewohimi was reconnected in Agbor also in Delta. Also reconnected were; Ugomson and Igbogiri both in Agbor area of Delta.
Adekunle said that in Edo, 12 communities in Ikpoba Hill Business Unit including: Ikhueniro 1 and 2, Idunowina, Idokpai also in Ikpoba hill, Ikomi in Uromi business unit were reconnected.
He listed Ugbogui in Okada, Miracle Centre 2 under GRA, Benin and Evboligun in Sokponba area of Benin as also having been reconnected during the period.
In Ekiti, he said two communities: Hausa Community in Shasha Market area of Ado-Ekiti and Surulere Staff School Community also in the state were reconnected.
« The reconnected communities have a customer population of about 20,000 with the highest coming from Ubulu-Uku in Asaba, Delta State which has a customer population of 4,907.
« This is followed by Ibusa Phase 2 in Koka Business Unit, with a population of 4,704, while Issele-Uku also in Delta comes third with a customer figure of 3,248.
« Famoyegun community in Owo, Ondo State has the least customer population of nine customers hooked to a transformer, » Adekunle said.
Adekunle said the BEDC had installed transformers in communities ranging from 50KVA to 2.5MVA since inception across the franchise states.
He debunked the insinuations that the company had not given out a single transformer to communities, only collected money and left customers to provide transformers on their own.
« We do not encourage self-help in arranging for transformers. We advise that customers should only pay their bills and it is the BEDC’s responsibility to make power available.
« Any party purporting to be acting for the BEDC to extort money from the public should be reported to our whistle-blowing numbers provided by the management, » he said.