By Chinedu Adonu

ENUGU — MEMBERS of Enugu State House of Assembly, yesterday, declared that they had the constitutional powers to protect the people they represent, from undue victimisation from any quarters.

Speaker of the Assembly, Edward Ubosi, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Dons Uzogbado, who stated this at a public hearing organised by the Assembly to get the views of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC and consumers in the state over alleged exorbitant bills, said they were empowered to protect their people from what could best be described as day light robbery.

electricity

As a result, the House, apart from setting up the public hearing for the three senatorial zones of the state, resolved to invite stakeholders that included security agencies, EEDC, Nigeria Electricity Regulation Commission, NERC and human rights organisations to come to the floor of the House on May 24, 2017 to deliberate on the touchy subject that tends to stifle industrial and individual development in the state.

“We are not going back on the battle to protect our people against economic sabotage,” the Speaker said.

The residents from Enugu East Senatorial zone, who trooped out in their numbers to the state House of Assembly during the public hearing on the EEDC crisis with their consumers in the state said many businesses had been liquidated by the company with their excess estimated billings.

Earlier in his address, EEDC crisis committee chairman, Mr Don Uzogbado, said:“We are not going back down on this matter, but we want your support so that we will fight this common cause together to ensure that EEDC stops extorting our people.”

A resource person, Mr Princewill Okorie, from a civil society organization said the state should embrace the new emerging renewable energy generation.

Okorie went ahead to sugest that the state needed to establish consumers’ protection committee that would be monitoring the activities of EEDC in the state for Nigeria Electricity Regulation Commission, NERC.

Chief Ikechukwu Mbah from Ugbawka Community in Nkanu East, said that EEDC refused to mount   three transformers in the community because they refused to pay them N6m they demanded from them.

“I went to EEDC for them to come and mount our three transformers that were given to our community in 2014 but they demanded N2m each and since then these transformers have not been mounted,” he said.

He suggested that EEDC matter should be channeled to NERC as any police matters are being channeled to Police Civil Service Commission.

A widow, Mrs Anthonia Adinde from Enugu East who said she lived alone lamented that she is charged about N100.00 per month, pointing out that her temperature is now running high because of the outrageous bill.