Blackout: Makurdi residents decry poor electricity supply, high charges

Residents of Makurdi, the Benue capital, have decried poor power supply within the city, in spite of the high charges by the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).

The residents told newsmen on Tuesday in Makurdi that the situation had continued to deteriorate, leaving some communities in total blackout.

The residents expressed worry that the acute decline in the power supply coincided with the excessive heat being experienced in Makurdi and its environs.

Mrs Dorathy Kumachivir, who stays on George Akume Way, Makurdi, described the power supply as terrible.

Kumachivir said that the epileptic nature of power supply made it difficult for her to preserve food in the refrigerator.

“We hardly sleep at night because of the excessive heat, as there is usually no light to power our fans,” she said.

Ms Jessica Ivarave, a food vendor in High Level, told newsmen that she no longer made use of her deep freezers because of lack of electricity.

Ivarave said that she had resorted to buying her food items that require refrigeration in bits on a daily basis.

“The heat is intense, and there is no light to serve our customers cold water and other drinks.

“We are appealing to whoever is concerned to address the issue speedily for the benefit of the common man,” she pleaded.

Mrs Angela Amine, a resident of Aper Aku Estate, North Bank, said that they had been going through a harrowing experience due to lack of power supply.

Amine said that they go without light for days, and when it eventually comes, it lasts for less than an hour.

“Even the less than an hour’s supply comes late into the night when nobody is awake to make good use of it.

“We rely solely on light to power the borehole that we get water from.

“The whole community is now suffering from water scarcity because of lack of light,” she said.

Also, Johnathan Audu, a resident of North Bank, said they had been experiencing poor electricity for over three months.

Audu said that they receive less than 20 minutes’ energy supply in every 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Mr James Igba, a resident of Tse Adi, a settlement located between Coca-Cola and Nyor, said they had lacked electricity for over a year.

Igba explained that the issue started with their transformer developing a fault in 2024, and since then, they had not received any power supply.

Mrs Eunice Terdoo also told newsmen that they had not seen light for over 11 months at the Tse Adi area.

Terdoo said they had written to all relevant authorities over the issue, but nothing was done about it.

However, JEDC Head of Corporate Services, Dr Adakole Elijah, told NAN that energy supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria had dropped significantly.

Elijah said that the company was not receiving energy that was commensurate to the demands of the customers in Makurdi.

The head of corporate services told newsmen that JED had in the interim adopted a new formula to meet the energy needs of the customers through rationing.

He explained that through rationing, customers on band A get more energy than those on other bands.

Elijah further explained that Makurdi North had a peculiar problem that had over the years denied them a regular power supply.

According to him, the lines that supply energy to the area that pass under the River Benue bridge are constantly having issues.

He, however, disclosed that the government was considering redirecting the lines on top of the bridge for more safety.

“We can not supply more than what we have. The current energy that we receive is not enough to service Makurdi customers.

“So, to meet the energy needs of our customers, we have resorted to rationing to ensure that all customers get energy within every 24 hours.

“Those on band A are still enjoying more energy than those on the other bands. Satisfying our customers will always remain our priority,” he said.