News Release: One Day Sensitization Rally In Support Of Takeover Of Power Distribution Company

Civil society organizations in Abia State calls on the Aba Resident and Traders to support the takeover of Aba Electricity Distribution by the Aba Power Distribution Company

Civil Society Forum on Power Sector Reform (CSFPSR) have call on Aba Resident to ignore feigned agitations and support the handover of Aba and Ariaria Power Distribution unit to the rightful and competent firm that duly acquired it Aba Power Distribution Company Former Geometric Power, in order to quickly resolve the power challenge and epileptic energy supply facing the commercial nerve centre of the state.

 In a rally in Aba Abia State,The Coalition of Civil Society organization Commends the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), National Electricity Regulatory commission (NERC) and Vice President who supervised the privatization programme as Chairman of National Council on Privatization, NCP for the Smooth takeover of the Aba Power to end the unending suffering Aba Resident are facing.

 The Co-ordinators of the Coalition Comrade Nelson Nwafor  of  Foundation For Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD) and comrade Innocent Anozie Nwokocha of Society For Economic Rights & Social Justice described as saboteurs those who are opposed to ABA POWER DISTRIBUTION COMPANY handling the distribution of power within Aba and its Environs, and those supporting the continued industrial incapacitation of the city are enemies of the city as their services has affected many business and some have move out of the city because of poor electricity supply.

It decried the poor services where consumers in Aba and its Environs are made to pay crazy bills without power supply. Adding that since acquisition of EEDC to distribute power in Aba, the situation has gone worse and wonders why the company wants to cling up to a task which it lacks competence and capacity to handle.

The Group Asserted personal interests and greed were driving those opposed to the original plan of ABA POWER taking over the distribution unit of Ariaria, Aba and its Environs after building power stations in osisioma and ring-fenced islands at Aba and Ariaria.

The group noted that apart from the fact that Aba Power Distribution conceived and built the Aba Power Plant upon which BPE conceded the distribution unit to it, the man behind Aba power is a professional in that sector and have contributed immensely to the improvement of Power Generation and Distribution in Nigeria.

The Group is worried that with Two Mega Power plant in Aba and its Environs, yet there is no power supply in Aba.

Aba Power Company had not powered Aba before now after building its facility due to the political hand twisting and conflict of interest among the political elites who excluded the South East from the nation’s gas master plan and crippled Economic and Social activities in the nation most popular commercial nerve center.

 Now that the error had been corrected and the gas pipeline moved into South East, the power plant would soon roar into life to provide uninterrupted power supply to Aba and its Environs which the resident have full confidence that Aba power Distribution company have the capacity and competence to deliver.

Aba Power Distribution company have, in trying to excise the ring-fenced islands at Aba and Ariaria from EEDC, argued that an existing agreement with the Federal Government gives it ownership of those portions of the South-East electricity distribution market.

The Group pointed out that due to the complaints by the consumers in Aba and its Environs over the poor services by EEDC and petitions sent to Consumers Protection council on the estimated billing by Enugu Disco and contractual breach of the Power Sector Reform Act, The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) is to commence prosecution procedures against the Enugu distribution companies (DISCOs) for violating its enabling act in the on-going investigation of the activities of the country’s DISCOs by not appearing to Defend numerous complaints of electricity consumers on the estimated billings, faulty transformers,epileptic power supply and non-provision of prepaid meters which many consumers in Aba and its Environs are suffering.

Based on these  issues raised, the Group calls on the NERC to sanction the EEDC for breaching the contractual terms with consumers and review their operationalization to make them responsible and accountable for all their Action, while commending the vice president for  approving the immediate takeover of Aba power Distribution in by Aba Power company as recommended by BPE to ensure steady and uninterrupted power supply in Aba in line with Mr. President’s campaign promises when he visited Aba during the Electioneering campaign to reinvigorate and improve economic Activities in Aba through Steady and uninterrupted power supply in Aba,The Japan of Africa.

The Group calls on Aba Residents and Traders to give  ABA POWER COMPANY all the necessary support as they are committed in ending all issues of poor power supply in the city.

Signed;

Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor                              

Co-ordinator                                                            

Civil Society Forum on Power Sector Reform

Tel; 08033383708,07062949232

Comrade Innocent Nwokocha Anozie

Secretary.