Exclusive: Our electricity bill is more than our house rent, Agbarho women protest

Hundreds of Women in Agbarho Community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State at about 7:00am today, Wednesday September 14 protested to the Sub-Station of Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC in Agbarho, complaining of overbilling of electricity above what they pay as monthly house rents.

Fresh Angle International can report that the protesting women matched to the BEDC Agbarho Sub-Station by Uvwiama Junction, close to the Agbarho Police Station with leaves, singing “we nor go gree, we nor go gree”.

One of the protesting women who spoke to Our Correspondent in an exclusive chat, Mrs. Doris Okwogaga declared, “we nor go fit pay bill of light we nor dey see or use, even if we dey see the light, we nor go fit pay 12, 000, 18, 000, 16, 000, 8, 000, 7,000 or even 5, 000 naira when BEDC bring as bill. Light bill go come pass house rent”?, she queried.

Mrs. Doris Okwogaga displaying the BEDC bill

A Police Officer believed to be DPO of Agbarho Police Station (name unknown) approached the protesting women in anger and said, “you people are taking laws into your hands, who did you take permission from? Did you come to the station to take permission before embarking on this protest”?

The President-General of Agbraho Urhobo Improvement Union, AUIU, Chief Gbenedion who was also at the scene of the protest told the Police Officer, “I am very surprised to see this, I am not aware of this, I was in the King Palace all through the previous day and no news of this protest was brought to the Palace”.

Another of the protesters, explained that it was the Okarho-Eghweya (the oldest woman in the clan) who delegated four persons to go round the village the previous day to announce that every woman from all the quarters in Agbarho should come out enmass for the protest, warning that any woman who fail to come out will be fined N5, 000 and a bottle of gin.

The protesting women also matched to the Palace of Agbarho Monarch in-company of the Okarho-Eghweya (the oldest woman in the clan) and pleaded with him to resolve the issue within 3 days.

Responding, the Monarch averred, “any BEDC Official seen cutting light in any compound should be pushed down with his ladder and the incident should be brought immediately to the Palace until the issue is resolved”.

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