Kurudu community protest against unjust disconnection by AEDC

Kurudu community protest against unjust disconnection by AEDC

By RSM reporter

Cross Section of Protesters at the front of AEDC Office in Jikwoyi.

On Monday 7th of April, the Block Industry area in Kurudu community, Abuja, FCT protested against the unjust disconnection of the community distribution transformer.

Despite that the community have been suffering from adequate electricity supply   for decades like many parts of Nigeria. The residents in the community took an initiative to contribute money to buy a transformer and even the pole and the land which the transformer was mounted was all provided by the community people.

Nobody knows the cause of the darkness until after four days.  The community have to send representatives to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) office where they were told that the AEDC disconnected their electricity supply due to a report by their staff member that the community people allegedly beat one of their staff.

What we gathered from the incident was that the staff went to a notorious jungle in the area to buy water and the hoodlums in their usual way started harassing him then a fight ensued between them to the extent that the AEDC staff reported to the police and police only arrested the man that was selling water and later released.

ATTITUDE OF THE POLICE

The community have reported several times to the police that hoodlums use to harass the passers-by but till date nothing is done to safe the situation by the Nigeria police force to protect the lives and properties of people leaving in this area in most cases when you report to the police of any attacks what they normally do is to see how best they can extort money from the victim by demanding money to open a file or requesting for money to buy fuel so as to patrol the area. The AEDC staff suffered this same kind of treatment from the Nigeria police and resulted to victimising the people of the community people who the economy hardship is already dealing with by removing the transformer fuse and put the community in darkness for four days.

THE ATTITUDE OF THE AEDC MANAGEMENT

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Companies management displayed lack of professionalism and shows no empathy at the people living in this community, no investigation is conducted by the management to really know who attack their staff and where the fight happened, they just pass a judgement that the community will be in darkness for two months. This is undemocratic and it against the rules of customer and business owner. The AEDC have no right to disconnect the whole community electricity supply because there was an unverified allegation of attack on one of their staff.

THE STRUGGLE AND THE GAIN

On the fourth day the community gathered to protest to the AEDC office in Jikwoyi and right there the Area manager attempted to use police to intimate the people, while the protest was going on at the gate of AEDC office in Jikwoyi police invited the leadership of the community for an amicable resolution  meeting at the Police station where by they narrated what transpired and the AEDC staff that was beaten by the hoodlums testified that it was not the community people that beat him but the hoodlums then the police called the Area Manager and report their findings, the area manager by name Madam Jesinta promised that the electricity supply  will be restored and it was done latter in the evening. This shows that struggle pays, this was a victory for residents in Kurudu, Block Industry.

Damage with compensation

During this four day of darkness food kept in the refrigerator, freezer was spoilt and a lot of small business in the area suffers losses and set back in this senerio the AEDC who have acted unprofessional should pay damages. That’s is the major demand of the people living in block Industry Area Kurudu. The Kurudu resident want compensation for the damages caused by the AEDC.