By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

Nnewi—Residents of Awada Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State Tuesday took to streets to protest what they described  as poor electricity supply and crazy bills circulated every month by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC.

The residents of Neighborhood Community , Middle Awada, Awofe, Peace Heaven, Power Zone, Isunjaba, Mekaowulu, Osumoghu, Anaka, GRA communities, Awada Community Landlords Association,   Awada Power Consumers Forum, Awada Residents Association, Awada Human Rights Group, Awada Artisans Union and Awada Small Scale Industries Association, all took part in the protest.

The protsters displayed placards with inscription as, “Awada electricity consumers are made to pay cooked up bills” “Impunity greets EEDC Awada customer relationship” “EEDC use cutting and carting away electricity cables to force us to pay their outrageous bills” Provide Prepaid Meter for Awada Community EEDC” We say not to bills that we did not consume”   “EEDC stop extorting Awada community with estimate bills,” Enough of extortion of our people”

Addressing newsmen during the protest, President General of Awada Central Landlords Association Chief Patrick Oyeduba, said:   “We are here today because of EEDC that has refused to supply us electricity, and they keep bringing outrageous bills.

‘’They are not giving us transformers, no prepaid meters, they prefer to exploit us with their estimated bills every month, that is why we are here today protesting.

“Awada has about three million people living in it, there is no place densely populated in the state as Awada, yet EEDC has been denying us electricity supply, in spite of our visits and letters to the Managing Director of the company.

“We need about 30 transformers or more to service the 14 communities in Awada, and each of the communities has over 40 streets in it, and the annoying thing about the callous treatment EEDC is giving us is that Awada is housing one of their substations, they are interested in serving people outside Awada, and they do not know we exist.

“All the cottage industries in Awada  have all folded up, including my company that produces soaps.  We cannot maintain using our private power generating sets to produce because we cannot afford the gas, so we decided to pack up and enter into another business, some build residential houses to be collecting rents, and sack the workers.

‘’As a matter of fact, more than 10,000 small scale factory workers have lost their jobs at Awada since the coming of EEDC.”

Chief Oyeduba, who is also the President General of Obosi Urban Landlords Association, said “Awada loses about N2 billion every month for not having electricity supply.’’

He noted that after Onistha, Awada was another community developing industrially at a fast pace.