Customers boo EEDC workers in Enugu

Enugu Electricity Distribution Company workers were on Tuesday booed by customers for allegedly ignoring them unnecessarily.

The customers were said to have arrived the EEDC office at Amechi Street in Achara Layout, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State as early as 6.30am to pay their electricity bills, but were angered by what they described as “the sluggish and poor attitude” of the workers.

“I don’t know why they (EEDC workers) enjoy punishing us (customers). You struggle to make your money and you struggle to come and pay electricity bill, rather than attend to the hundreds of customers, they prefer to delay us endlessly,” said one of the customers, Ikenna, who said his tag number was 184.

Mrs. Anyanwu, a mother of three, said her tag number was 220 and that she could only recharge around sunset.

“It’s not this type of experience we expect from the EEDC,” she said, adding that some customers’ tag numbers were beyond 400. “Some were asked to go and come back the next day,” she said.

When our correspondent visited the place, customers were seen struggling to gain access into the EEDC office, so as to be attended to.

When contacted, the Public Relations Manager of the EEDC, Mr. Eugene Aniowa, said the incident was unfortunate and attributed it to bad network.

“Network was very bad yesterday. We apologize for what happened and we appeal to our customers to be patient with us because we are there to serve them,” Aniowo said.

Meanwhile, the South-East Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Nigeria (SEAMATA) has threatened to resist any attempt by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to hand over Aba and Ariara electricity distribution unit to Afrigem.

President-General of the group, Ichie Okwudili Ezenwankwo, told journalists after a meeting of the traders in Enugu that any plan to take the power unit away from the EEDC would be rejected, saying if the plan succeeds, it would paralyse businesses in the area.