Sabon Gari Residents Attack Power Minister, YEDC Over Poor Electricity Supply
"YEDC only gives us light three hours every two days but bill us 10,000 Monthly''
Bariki residents of Sabon Gari area in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital have decried the epileptic power supply in the area. The residents are angry that despite the Minister for Power Engr. Saleh Mamman coming from Taraba State, electricity supply to many part of the state has worsen since his appointment last year.
Sabon Gari is among the fast growing residential areas in Jalingo that need urgent expansion of social amenities especially electricity supply. It was gathered that the area is facing poor or epileptic power supply in the past four years as a result of fault in the electric transformer serving the area.
In the past four years, residents of the area have had to endure the scorching sun in the day time and humid weather at night. The rationing of power by Yola Electricity Distribution Company YEDC has not helped the situation. The company is rationing the supply by giving the area electricity for forty eight hours and hold it to another area for twenty four hours.
A cross section of the residents who spoke with Taraba Truth and Fact decried the erratic power supply in the area, which many says has made life miserable for residents and cripple business activities in the area.
They are accusing Minister for Power Engr. Saleh Mamman of not paying attention to plights of his own people and the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC, of overloading the transformer that supplies power to the area after alleged inducement.
They explained that the illegal connection of new costumers to the transformer by some staff of the company had led to continuous break down of the transformer causing untold hardships to the residents and its environs
Mr. Barnabas Mete, said that electricity supply in the area has been epileptic, saying that they enjoy only less than three hours of electricity in forty eight hours. He urged the YEDC to be considerate with the masses and provide new transformer in the area, so that people could enjoy the dividends of democracy.
According to him, despite the very poor service, Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), still serves them bills for services not rendered, "sometimes we pay 10,000 monthly and we are given light only three hours every two days.
"The whole of Bariki in Sabon Gari area is in darkness; we are not enjoying electricity; people have resorted to generators and torch lights as the commonest source of light here."
Another resident, Ibrahim Akilu who appealed for something to be done revealed that people of the area have to resort for deliberate nonpayment of electricity bill because they pay an average of three thousand naira monthly for what they don't enjoy, adding that "sometimes they bring light like two times a month and bring bill."
Akilu blamed the Minister of Power for not doing enough to the community despite being from the state.
"Even though we have our people with the minister of power enjoying the luxury of Abuja, we are wallowing in darkness with their immediate families in this area. The most unfortunate is that whenever they came, they use generator in their houses, even the Minister of Power and his family uses generator in his Jalingo home"
Another resident, Mr Francis Osogolo, told our reporter in an interview that, "As I speak to you, there is no light in the entire community."
"This is what we have been experiencing for over four years. All we have been asking YEDC to do is to decongest the transformer, by removing those illegally connected to it in few years back so that we can enjoy adequate power supply; YEDC has refused to decongest it for no reason and they keep adding new costumers to it," he explained.
On her part, Hajiya Halima Dahiru, accused YEDC of gross insensitivity to the plight of the consumers, adding that this had led thrown the community into darkness saying that the personal aids were not showing patriotism.
"These people are so close to the Minister. We are not asking them money or anything. We just want them to use offices and their closeness to the minister to influence the provision of transformer to this area. We are in dare need of it." She said
In his remarks, a community leader in the area, Jacob Danbala explained that they made several efforts to contact management of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company at the area and at the state office of the company but without any tangible outcome.
He said: "We met with the staff of the company in its office here in Sabon Gari. and they advised us to take our complains to state office. We were at the state office several times and a delegation was sent by the management of the company to meet us here. The discussion was so apt but no fruitful results.
"We are appealing to our brothers and neighbors, Barrister Shehu Inuwa and Adamu Also who are currently serving as personal aides to the Minister of Power Engr Saleh Mamman as well as management of YEDC to come to our aid by providing new transformer or decongesting the old one by disconnecting illegal ones."
When contacted, officials of Jalingo Business Unit of Yola Electricity Distribution Company YEDC declined comment on the matter but a source in the company confirmed that the community had complained about the poor electricity service in Bariki of Sabon Gari area of Jalingo the state capital.
The source told our reporter that they have been receiving complaints from that area in the past four years stressing that the company lack capacity to provide new transformer in many places in Jalingo and its environ.
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