A legal practitioner, Mr Bright Uche, has appealed to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to restore power supply to Afikpo community in Ebonyi.
Uche on Sunday in Abuja said that Afikpo North and South had been without power supply for over five years.
He urged NERC to urgently intervene in the power challenge in Afikpo community.
“The absence of power in Afikpo North and South has reached a stage where NERC should declare an emergency. Afikpo is the most populous town in Ebonyi after Abakaliki.
“NERC, as a regulatory body and patriotic Nigerians should ensure that agreement and resolutions to restore power are not just on paper but it should be followed to its logical conclusion,” he said.
According to him, EEDC should know that the Afikpo community is not antagonising or fighting them.
“We are their customers and we want to enjoy the right to be served right as other Nigerians are enjoying.
“EEDC should “do the needful’’ in providing the needed service for us and we in turn will partner with them to ensure the smooth running of electricity distribution in our zone. That is all we are asking for.
“Afikpo community should not be neglected in power supply. We are ready to put in the necessary efforts to ensure that the prolonged blackout in Afikpo is a thing of the past,” he said.
Uche also called on TCN to ensure that contracts awarded on projects to restore power to Afikpo were effectively executed.
He appreciated the efforts of the current administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, in improving electricity in the country.
“We are appealing to him to do more. We have been suffering lack of power for so many years. The people and businesses in Afikpo are suffering because of absence of power.
“People that have plans to establish companies and factories in Afikpo to boost economic activities of the area are not forthcoming or dragging their foot due to absence of power.
“This is a big blow to Afikpo; thus NERC, TCN and EEDC should come to our rescue to ensure we have power to boost economic activities and contribute to lifting our people out of poverty,” Uche said.
