Residents of Azugwu, Abakaliki Local government Area of Ebonyi State, have shut down the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, located at Awolowo Street, over three months of blackout.
The shutdown has led to the interruption of business activities at the EEDC office on Tuesday which lasted till Thursday morning.
It would be recalled that the residents had protested earlier to inform the power company of the lingering blackout, which has caused hardship and economic challenges to business owners in the area.
However, on Tuesday, the residents came out in large numbers both men, women, young and elderly to display their grievances over the lengthy period of blackout that has collapsed business activities in the area and caused hardship to the people.
A resident of the Area who gave his name as Paul Nwafor said “We’ve been passing through difficulties because of EEDC and their activities in Azugwu. In this regard, we wrote a letter to the commissioner of police and the DSS, which we copied to NERC. After meeting with the police authorities, we agreed to embark on this peaceful protest to display our anger over the total blackout for months.
When contacted on the development, EEDC Distribution Manager, Nwankwo Cyprian, stated that the company was aware of the situation, explaining that there have been a series of meetings with the management.
He, however, said he could not give a definite date as to when the light would be restored.
He appealed for calmness and assured them that on or before the end of May 2024, positive news would emerge.