19th November, 2018
PRESS RELEASE:
DISCOS ARE SABOTAGING FG’S
EFFORTS
The Nigerian media was last week
agog with news of demonstrations held by the Ishashi Communityof Lagos State
against Eko Electricity Development Company. The demonstrators complained of
‘crazy bills’ and poor power supply. It was not an isolated case as
demonstrations had been held on several occasions in many parts of the country,
particularly in the South West, South East, South South and some parts of the
North against the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs).
Contributing to this ugly
development, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) in a statement issued on Monday
19th November, 2018, described the performance of the DISCOs as disappointing.
“Something is fundamentally wrong. It is as if the DISCOs are working
at cross-purposes with the Federal Government (FG). They have not shown the
industrial will for regular power supply despite the uncommon enthusiasm shown
by the Minister of Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who has a reputation for
high-level delivery of service.
“We can confirm as eye-witnesses
since MURIC’s headquarters is based in one of the communities at the receiving
end of one of the DISCOs, namely EKDEC. Iba area of Lagos State receives the
worst treatment. Apart from ‘crazy bills’, the lights are never supplied
throughout the night. People sleep in darkness. They are exposed to the
terrible heat and mosquitoes.
“Many transformers have been vandalized and the vandals operate under
cover of darkness. All appeals to EKDEC to ensure that light is supplied at
night have fallen on deaf ears. Apart from that, armed robbers seize the
opportunity of all-night darkness to terrorise the neighbourhood. This would
not have been so easy for the hoodlums if there is power supply at night.
“Resolutions reached at the
meetings of the communities urging the DISCO to supply electricity at night for
security reason have been ignored to date although the resolutions were
communicated to EKDEC. This company has constituted itself into a government
within a government. It is very insensitive, sadistic and recalcitrant.
“Iba area is a university
community where lecturers and students reside in large number yet the DISCO has
failed to take this factor into consideration. Students must study. They must
also do their assignments. The lecturers too must research. They also have
students’ projects, dissertations and theses to peruse and correct. How do they
do all these in darkness?
“The case of Lagos State University (LASU) is pathetic. Alhough the
university’s visionary, purposeful and dynamic leadership has taken the
university to world class status with several initiatives, lack of regular power
supply constitutes a potent threat to the sustenance of LASU’s current enviable
status.
“In an effort to ensure regular
power supply on Ojo campus, the University management spends a humongous amount
every month on diesel and maintenance of the big generators which are installed
all over the campus. This eats deep into the coffers of the university.
“Apart from students who are in
the hostel and who must use electricity at night, LASU students also read on
campus during the night and this poses another big challenge. EKDEC’s
diabolical policy of ‘no electricity at night’ in Iba area makes this a serious
challenge to the university administration.
“It is the height of sadism to
give consumers light in the daytime only. People have the opportunity to go
outside on the veranda or balcony for fresh air if there is no light during the
daytime. They can even take a strol or sit under a tree outside but they dare
not attempt that luxury at night for obvious reasons. They are stuck indoors
during the night and that is the time they really need electricity. Unfortunately
that is the time EKDEC has sworn never to supply electricity to consumers in
Iba area.
“People in the area are wondering
what is amiss? Of course this is Nigeria and you have to open your eyes
properly. Is EKDEC colluding with some companies who need electricity in the
daytime to power their industrial machines? We really have no objection to this
because it will aid the country’s quick industrialization and tecknological
growth but this must not be done at the expense of poor consumers”
MURIC also revealed that its team
had held a dialogue session with EKDEC management in the area to no avail.
“About five members of MURIC were
picked to discuss with EKDEC management in Iba area about eight months ago. We
complained that though electricity was sometimes supplied in the daytime for
some hours, it was not supplied at night. They usually switch on around 11 am
and switch off around 5 pm. It is an average of six hours per day.
“We learnt that the company had
the capacity to supply electricity for ten hours and we suggested that the ten
hours should be split between day and night. Isn’t that fair enough? We
suggested that the five hours of the night should be from 12 midnight to 5 am.
Did we ask for too much? We are yet to see that implemented. EKDEC has no
listening ear, at least not for poor areas like Iba.
“MURIC is deeply disturbed as EKDEC and some other DISCOs are depriving
Nigerians of the dividends of democracy. They are not allowing Nigerians to
enjoy and feel the impact of the good work which the Buhari administration has
been doing. After the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wasted $16 billion
procuring darkness and subjecting Nigerians to untold suffering, the DISCOs which
are owned and managed by PDP agents and contractors are deliberately
frustrating the people in order to destroy the good work of the Buhari
administration.
They continue to suck the people’s
blood under the protection of the rule of law. This could not have been
possible in a military setting. This is one instance where a second look must
be taken at the rule of law. Should rapaciously greedy politicians be allowed
to subject the people to exploitation using the rule of law as a cover for
their atrocity? Is national interest terra incognito in a democracy? Can’t
we revoke the contracts of the DISCOs in an emergency situation?
“People in the whole area are
frustrated. Coupled with that is the economic implication of the denial of
electricity supply at night. We are forced to use generators and to spend huge
amounts of money on fuel and maintenance. It is a colossal loss. This bhas
forced the communities to drag EKDEC to court under the auspices of the
Confederation of Iba Communiries (CIC) but the case has been dragging for more
than one year now.
MURIC also accused EKDEC of discrimination. According to the director
of the human rights organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, “EKDEC treats
consumers in high brow areas like Ikoyi with special respect but treats those
in Iba area with contempt. That is class segregation. Consumers have been compartmentalized
into ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. EKDEC’s consumers are in an Animal Farm scenario
with its crooked ‘four legs good, two legs better’ mantra.
“MURIC appeals to the honourable
Minister of Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to come to our aid. We are really
suffering. It is high time FG called the bluff of the DISCOs. If it is true
that the contract of the DISCOs will be expiring this month (November 2018), we
strongly advise that the contracts should be revoked. These DISCOs are not on
the same page with the current administration. They are cogs in the wheel of
progress. Let them go back to their avariciously glutonous politicians and superfluously
voracious capitalist bourgeoise.
“For the sake of microscopic
clarity, we affirm that the concern of the Muslim Rights Concern is the welfare
of the masses. We are greatly concerned that the DISCOs are supplying darkness
instead of light. We are concerned as socio-intellectual jihadists seeking 24-hour
electricity supply to Nigerians, freedom for the oppressed, food for the hungry,
healing for the sick, clothing apparels for the naked and shelter for the
homeless. We remain oppressed until these welfare objectives are attained. The
struggle for better life for the poor masses is a noble jihad and we
will not abandon this great path.
“As we round off, we call on
EKDEC in particular and other DISCOs to stop deceiving their consumers. You can
fool some people sometimes but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.
Enough is enough. MURIC will not hesitate to spearhead a massive but peaceful
demonstration against them if they do not perform. We urge FG to put an end to
the DISCO’s contracts as quickly as possible because they have failed Nigerians”.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
