Protesters on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the headquarters of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC, in Yola, Adamawa State capital, grounding operations and preventing workers and customers from accessing the premises.
The protesters, who are residents of the Girei and Song local government areas of the state, said they were demonstrating against what they described as more than two months of uninterrupted blackout in their communities.
The demonstration forced employees of the distribution company to turn back as all entrances to the office were blocked.
According to the aggrieved residents, YEDC failed to restore electricity despite several meetings and engagements with community leaders and stakeholders, alleging that every promise made by the company had ended without results.
They vowed to sustain the protest until electricity is restored to their communities, stating that the prolonged power outage has crippled businesses, disrupted livelihoods, affected healthcare services, and left students and artisans struggling to carry out their daily activities.
“We have lost confidence in YEDC’s ability to provide reliable electricity and we are calling for the revocation of the company’s distribution licence.
“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, the Adamawa State Government, and other relevant authorities should urgently intervene and ensure the restoration of electricity to the affected communities,” the protesters said.
At the time of filing this report, YEDC had not issued an official statement on the protest, while security personnel were seen monitoring the situation to maintain law and order.
Adamawa residents picket YEDC headquarters, demand improved power supply