Thousands of industrialists have taken to the streets of the famed commercial town of Onitsha, Anambra State in protest against the poor power supply by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

The protesters, who held Onitsha byu the throat yesterday, complained bitterly about illegal and indiscriminate disconnection of industrial clusters of the area.

They displayed various placards, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider Sir Emeka Offor’s EEDC as the sole power distributor in the South-East.

The protesters were conveyed in about 60 buses to different points were they demonstrated, saying that if the situation does not change, over 11,000 workers in their employ would lose their jobs.

Some of their placards read: “Emeka Offor has killed our business”, “President Buhari withdraw EEDC license now”, “Dickerman is a wicked man”, “EEDC Managing Director is it the way industrialists are treated in your country?”, “EEDC refund us the N2 billion we used in buying transformers”.

Others read: “EEDC enough of your intimidation, harassment and extortion”, “EEDC what is your contribution for the bills you are collecting?”, “God save us from the hands of EEDC and its owners”, “Governor Obiano you have provided security, do not allow EEDC to drive youths back to crime”, “President Buhari save us from the hands of EEDC that is bent on killing our business”.

Speaking at EEDC office in Ogidi on behalf of the protesters, chairman of the small scale industrialists, Mr. Johnson Okolo, said that EEDC did not inform them of any disconnection in the area, contrary to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) rules on Connections and Disconnections Procedure for Electricity Services.

“They disconnect us; we will come to them and beg, and they will give us all sorts of conditions, because they know we need the light,” he said of EEDC.

“So we are here today, the entire cluster workers are here to register our protest against the intimidation. How can you disconnect those who do not owe you? There are rules for disconnection, and if we are not part of Nigeria where the rules apply, let them tell us,” Mr. Okolo added.

In his reaction through telephone, the Managing Director of EEDC, Mr. Roberty Deckerman, said he had not been briefed about the protest and would therefore not want to comment.

•Photo by Pamela Eboh shows the angry industrialists protesting against EEDC . . . yesterday in Onitsha.

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