…JED Regional Manager Blames Faulty Injection Sub-Station Relay

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Residents of parts of Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, have expressed frustration over months of unreliable power supply from the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED), which has severely impacted businesses and disrupted Christmas celebrations in the town.

The affected residents and business owners, particularly those on Gboko Road, George Akume Way, Judges Quarters, Terwase Agbadu, New GRA, Gyado Villa, and other areas, have threatened to protest at the JED Regional Office on New Otukpo Road if the issue is not urgently addressed.

Angry residents have accused JED of negligence and insensitivity to their plight.

A spokesperson for the aggrieved residents on George Akume Way, who identified himself as Aiar, expressed disappointment over the company’s poor service. He also called on the Federal Government to reconsider the privatization of the power sector, citing ongoing failures by investors to meet the needs of customers.

“Those of us on George Akume Way, Breweries, Judges Quarters, and other areas in Makurdi town hardly get three hours of power supply a day. This has been the case since August 2024. We have been relying on personal generators due to the high cost of petrol,” Aiar said.

He added that countless businesses had been forced to shut down due to the lack of electricity, and even Christmas celebrations were affected. “People lost food items meant for preservation in freezers, particularly meat, which is shared by local Thrift societies (Bam) during this period. Families couldn’t preserve food because we hardly get four hours of electricity a day.”

Despite these issues, Aiar noted that JED had not explained the cause of the outages. “When some of us pressed for answers, JED personnel claimed that the Circuit Breaker at the BBL Injection Sub-Station, which supplies electricity to these areas, is faulty. For over four months, the Circuit Breakers have been bad, and JED Headquarters in Jos hasn’t bothered to replace them, leaving us in darkness.”

He described this situation as negligence and insensitivity and stated that if the issue is not resolved soon, residents would be forced to stage protests to bring attention to their concerns.

In response, the JED Makurdi Regional Manager, Ojochide Agbata, confirmed that the fault was indeed at the BBL Injection Sub-Station. “The relay that controls the Injection Sub-Station is faulty, and we have ordered a replacement, but it has not arrived yet. Once we receive the relay and fix it, the supply will improve,” he said.

Agbata added, “We are trying to provide power from other sources in the meantime. We are working with our headquarters in Jos, and after the New Year, we expect to resolve the issue.” He also appealed to customers to ensure timely payment of their bills to help improve services.