Following consumers’ protests against power failure, an electricity distribution company (DISCO) has told Nigerians not to expect 24-hour supply of electricity any time soon.
The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), which made the declaration yesterday, said the hopeless situation is due to low generation of megawatts by the generation companies (GENCOs).
The Head, Corporate Affairs of BEDC for Edo, Delta Ondo and Ekiti states, Curtuis Nwadei, said in spite of the 9 per cent allocation from the national grid, the zone also grapples with the problem of high indebtedness from both state and federal government agencies, including military and paramilitary agencies, energy theft and assaults on its staff.
Nwadie, who spoke in Benin, however said that BEDC had commissioned over 20 injection sub-stations and took delivery of over 400 transformers to improve on it services to the states under its jurisdiction.
He also lamented vandalization of its transformers and cables by hoodlums in some communities in the zone.
He said: “The distribution company (BEDC) is at the end of the value chain. We have generation, transmission, and distribution which we are. If you don’t generate, you cannot distribute, and that is the truth.
“As I speak to you today, the generation level of Nigeria is very low. It is not even enough for a state in Nigeria.
“As at this morning, the highest generation we have is 3, 409 megawatts for a population of over 170 million people, and what we can take out of that is less than 2,500 megawatts and BEDC only gets 9 per cent of the entire generation in Nigeria.
“Which means our allocation is between 150-160 megawatts for a company that requires 900 megawatts. So you discover that there is a large shortfall from what we need.
“With this, there is absolutely nothing BEDC can do, because we don’t generate.
“Most of the protests you see are sponsored. Because if you ask them now, they will tell you they want 24-hour supply and nobody in Nigeria can get that with the present generation.
“That is not to say we have not done a lot on our own.”
At the time of filing this report, aggrieved electricity consumers from Irhiriri area of Benin, Edo State capital, had blocked the entrance to the headquarters of the BEDC located on Akpakpava Street in Benin, demanding improvement in electricity supply to their area.
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