Governor Monday Okpebholo on Monday joined youths and residents at Ring Road in Benin City protesting the lingering blackout and billing concerns linked to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), urging calm while promising swift stakeholder engagement.
Addressing the crowd, the governor expressed solidarity with the demonstrators, noting that electricity challenges cut across all segments of the state.
“I was just passing by and saw people gathered here at Ring Road. I stopped to find out what the issue was, and they said you were protesting. I said, yes, we are all youths, and I have come to join you,” he said.
Okpebholo added that any form of short-changing Edo residents affects the entire state. “When we talk about short-changing Edo people, it affects all of us — our parents in the villages, our brothers and sisters in the cities, and everyone standing here. Why should anyone frustrate Edo people?” he asked.
The governor clarified that BEDC is privately owned and not directly controlled by the state government but assured that concrete steps would be taken to address the concerns raised.
“The only way we can fight this is to bring new investors into the business of distribution. We will break the monopoly. We want to operate like the telecom sector where you have alternatives. Bringing in more investors will give our people options,” he stated.
He announced that a stakeholders’ meeting would be held on Tuesday and urged the protesters to nominate five representatives to participate.
“We need to engage them to see how we can bring in more investors into the business of electricity distribution. Once that is done, we will all be more assured of stable power. Let us remain calm and allow the engagement to take place,” the governor appealed.
The protesters had converged on Ring Road, a major hub in the heart of Benin City, before proceeding with the demonstration. Carrying banners with inscriptions such as “We say no to BEDC oppression,” “No light, no bill,” and “Edo people say no to bulk billing,” the demonstrators decried persistent outages, estimated billing, and the high cost of prepaid meters.
Comrade Ogbidi Emmanuel, who spoke on behalf of the group, said residents across Edo State were compelled to protest what he described as oppressive practices by the distribution company.
“We pay for light and they give us darkness,” he said, questioning the transparency of the company’s free meter distribution scheme.
He challenged BEDC to publish the names of beneficiaries, noting that meters reportedly cost between ₦150,000 and ₦400,000.
The protest remained peaceful, with security personnel maintaining order as demonstrators dispersed after the governor’s address. As of press time, BEDC had not issued an official response to the allegations.
