Umuahia — Residents of Umuafai, Ndume Ibeku in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, have accused the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) of collecting arrears from them without giving light commensurate with what they pay for.
The residents say what they frown at is not just the epileptic supply, but the method EEDC now uses — repeated instructions to clear arrears, while supply remains poor.
According to them, the pattern started last month. Officials prevailed on residents to offset part of their arrears in good faith. Residents cooperated. The strategy worked for the company, as money was collected. But improved supply did not follow.
Now the same instruction has returned. Fresh bills have been shared, residents are again being told to clear arrears, yet supply remains epileptic.
The pressure, residents said, was made more direct this time. On some of the bills distributed, an inscription was written with pen: *“Please pay upto N25,000 to avoid disconnection.”*
For residents, that handwritten note says it all — pay, or be disconnected, even when the light supplied does not justify the demand.
Speaking with our reporter on condition of anonymity, residents described the supply as epileptic. Throughout daytime, light hardly comes. At night, it comes and goes unpredictably — sometimes it stays for a few hours, sometimes it does not come at all. There is no pattern residents can plan with.
”We are not saying the demand to clear arrears is not valid. It is valid. What we are saying is that EEDC should apply common sense. Give us light that is commensurate with what we pay,” one resident said.
”Last month they begged us to pay our arrears. We cooperated. It worked for them. Now they are using the same method again without giving us light. They have failed in their own part of the bargain,” another resident lamented.
The residents stressed that they are not averse to paying electricity bills. What they insist on is fairness and transparency — that billing must reflect supply.
The situation is now causing tension in the community. A resident disclosed that it is pitching tenants against landlords, revealing that a recent disagreement over electricity payment almost degenerated into a bloody fight because a landlord demanded payment for power the tenant barely enjoyed.
Another resident said: “Umuafai residents cooperate with them always. I have attributed the level of cooperation we show them to the reason why they have taken us for granted. Why can’t the power company do its own part? Enough of this lack of transparency!”
The residents called on the Abia State Government to intervene and enforce transparency and accountability in the power sector.
They warned that some angry youths are already devising strategies to confront officials whenever they come for disconnection, adding that they have remained quiet for years while the situation continued.
EEDC Reacts
Meanwhile, a source at the EEDC who pleaded anonymity said the Umuafai feeder is under Band C.
She attributed the poor supply to low allocation from the national grid, saying the about 3,000 megawatts currently generated nationally is insufficient to serve all distribution companies.
She said Band C customers are charged at ₦53.78 per unit and urged customers to purchase prepaid meters to ensure accurate billing.
For residents of Umuafai, however, the issue is no longer about the national grid alone. It is about a pattern they say they now understand too well — clear your arrears, pay upto N25,000 to avoid disconnection, and still get epileptic supply.
Their question remains simple:
If we keep clearing arrears, when will EEDC clear its own arrears to us in light?
Umuafai Residents Accuse EEDC Of Collecting Arrears Without Giving Light
These EEDC guys are not serious.
Governor is doing well but he told us about New Era… When will it become operative.
Electricity has permanently been an issue since 1990’s will it ever stop?