On Monday, demonstrators in Benin, Edo State, organized a protest addressing the recurring power outages and the billing practices of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company.
Carrying several banners reading, “We say no to BEDC oppression,” “No light, no bill,” and “Edo people say no to bulk billing”, the protesters gathered at Ring Road in the heart of Benin City before commencing the march further.
Governor Monday Okpebholo who was passing by at the time joined the protesters in a show of solidarity. Okpebholo urged calm and promised swift stakeholder engagement.
“We need to engage them to see how we can bring in more investors into the business of electricity distribution.
“Once that is done, we will all be more assured of stable power. Let us remain calm and allow the engagement to take place,” the governor appealed.
“I was just passing by and saw people gathered here at Ring Road. I stopped to find out what the issue was, and they said you were protesting.
“I said, yes, we are all youths, and I have come to join you. The only way we can fight this is to bring new investors into the business of distribution.
“We will break the monopoly. We want to operate like the telecom sector, where you have alternatives. Bringing in more investors will give our people options,” he said.
