Abuja residents groan as power shortage lingers

Abuja residents have been grumbling over the lingering power shortage that brought months of untold hardship, despite assurances by the electricity supply company.

Our correspondent who interviewed residents in the capital city reported complaints of high charges and significant drop in the number of supply hours by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

A resident in Mabushi, Muhammad Jamil, expressed disgust at the manner the distribution company reneged on the earlier commitment of supply light for 12 hours to warrant the increment.

He said they barely get 10 hours light a day and it usually comes at night when everyone is asleep.

“This is negatively taking toll against business activities in the areas because we rely on power to operate. Also, it has forced some people to resort to generating sets.”

He lamented the charges he pays, describing them as exorbitant, hence urging the power company to have a look at the issue of overcharging.

Residents around some notable areas like Central Business District, Wuse and Garki said they were sometimes allotted only two to six hours electricity a day; whilst they sometimes spend the whole day in total blackout.

A power consumer in Daki Biyu area around Jabi, who simply gave his name as Oduak, said the bill charged nowadays is extremely high and electricity consumers in the area have since resorted to other means of power generation.

Mohammad Yusuf, a resident in Lugbe, lamented that they don’t have steady electricity in the area, but pay a lot.

“Take for example, last month I paid N11, 000 instead of N11, 400. They insisted that I’d be disconnected if I refused to pay the amount on the bill given to me, while it’s a residential area and we only get 5 to 8 hours light a day these days.

“While in those days, we used to get more than 12 hours and with less charges then,’’ he lamented.

Reacting to the consumers’ complaints, the General Manager, Corporate Communications of AEDC, Mr Oyebode Fadipe, attributed the power shortage in Abuja and its environs to sharp dropping in the Megawatts nationwide from the generating companies.

“The concern raised by customers on power supply is a countrywide concern, which arose as a result of drop in generation,’’ he responded.

On why some customers grumble about being serviced Band B but charged as Band A, he said, it has its own system. “The issue of customers receiving service for B and B but are billed on B and A has its own matrics. There is a period allowed by the regulator within which this is reviewed. We are therefore bound by the regulatory instrument” he added