Eben Enasco Reporting
Residents in Edo State are up in arms over Benin Electricity Distribution Company’s, BEDC, estimated billing, with some receiving bills five to ten times higher than usual, amidst erratic power supply.
Joy Edoseghe, a resident, pleading for government intervention says households are struggling to cope, describing it as suffocating
Joy Edoseghe, a bottled water seller, said she received a shocking N318,000 electricity bill for March 2026, despite barely getting a power supply.
“I only run a small store, how can this be?” this is absurd, she lamented, appealing to the government for help.
Her woes continued, recalling a similar N317,000 bill in February 2026, which forced her to appeal to the distribution company for a reduction to N200, 000, to allow her keep her cold water business in operation.
Despite relocating from band B to A, according to her, power supply worsened, and bills soared.
“I’m at a loss,” she says, struggling to keep her business afloat after paying monthly remuneration to workers, a situation she described as discouraging and harshly affecting all Small and Medium Business Enterprises in the state.
Meanwhile, an Organized group against the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, Oppressive Tendencies has condemned the extortions and intimidation against the people given the authorities a 21-day ultimatum, to end the challenges and restore power to the residents of the state.
Comrade Emmanuel Ogbidi, lead person of the group, accused BEDC of receiving trillions in payments for services not rendered, citing widespread complaints from Edo residents.
Speaking at a press briefing in Benin City on Monday, he demanded accountability.
While questioning the integrity of the metering system, Comrade Ogbidi is urging regulatory bodies, including NERC and the Nigerian Society of Engineers, to verify the meters being installed by BEDC to ensure these meters accurately measure power consumption.
Other Stakeholders at the conference, including Comrades Kola Edokpayi, Bevy Efe and Kelly Osunbor urged the State Government to Act on Power crisis to liberate citizens from total darkness.
They suggested that the state government should negotiate with Ossiomo Power Company as an alternative to break BEDC’s monopoly and provide direct power supply to residents, just as they enjoined the Nigeria government to pay its debt to GenCos, which would enable them to upgrade its facilities and improve power generation.
They said they are poised to immediately constitute their rapid response intervention committees across the state, to respond within 10 minutes in any area BEDC tries to be funny.
When contacted, Evelyn Gbiwen Head, Branding and Corporate Communications, BEDC Electricity Plc, appealed for patience as she lamented limited gas supply.
She urged customers who have such complaints to kindly visit their customer care offices to rectify billing issues adding that BEDC remained committed to serving their esteemed customers better.