Residents of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, have decried poor power supply within the city despite the high charges by the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).

The residents told journalists on Tuesday in Makurdi that the situation continues to deteriorate, leaving some communities in total blackout.

The residents expressed worry that the acute decline in the power supply coincides with the excessive heat currently being experienced in Makurdi and its environs.

Dorathy Kumachivir, who stays on George Akume Way, Makurdi, described the power supply as terrible.

Ms Kumachivir said that the epileptic nature of the light makes it difficult for them to preserve food in our refrigerators.

“We hardly sleep at night because of the excessive heat, as there is usually no light to power our fans,” she said.

A food vendor in High Level, Jessica Ivarave, said that she no longer makes use of her deep freezers because of lack of light.

Ms Ivarave said that she had resorted to buying her food items that require refrigeration in bits on a daily basis.

“The heat is intense, and there is no light to serve our customers cold water and other drinks.

“We are appealing to whoever is concerned to address the issue speedily for the benefit of the common man,” she pleaded.

A resident of Aper Aku Estate, North Bank, Angela Amine,  said that they have been going through a harrowing experience due to lack of power supply.

Ms Amine said that they go without light for days, and when it eventually comes, it lasts for less than an hour.

“Even the less than an hour’s supply comes late into the night when nobody is awake to make good use of it.

“We rely solely on light to power the borehole that we get water from. The whole community is now suffering from water scarcity because of lack of light,” she said.

Also, Jonathan Audu, a resident of North Bank, said they had been experiencing poor energy supply for over three months.

Mr Audu said that they receive less than 20 minutes’ energy supply in every 24 hours.

Meanwhile, a resident of Tse Adi, James Igba, a settlement located between Coca-Cola and Nyor, said they had not seen energy for over a year.

Mr Igba noted that the issue started with their transformer developing a fault in 2024, and since then, they have not received any energy supply.

Eunice Terdoo also said that the Tse Adi area of the state had not had power supply light for over 11 months

Ms Terdoo said they had written to all relevant authorities over the issue, but nothing was done about it.

However, JEDC Head of Corporate Services, Adakole Elijah, said that energy supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria has dropped significantly.

Mr Elijah said that the company at the moment does not receive energy that is commensurate with the energy demands of the customers in Makurdi.

The head of corporate services said that JED had in the meantime adopted a new formula to meet the energy needs of the customers through rationing.

He explained that through rationing, customers on band A get more energy than those on other bands.

Mr Elijah further explained that Makurdi North had a peculiar problem that has over the years denied them a regular power supply.

According to him, the lines that supply energy to the area that pass under the River Benue bridge are constantly having issues.

He, however, disclosed that the government was at the moment considering redirecting the lines on top of the bridge for more safety.

“We cannot supply more than what we have. The current energy that we receive is not enough to service Makurdi customers.

“So to meet the energy needs of our customers, we have resorted to rationing to ensure that all customers get energy within every 24 hrs.

“Those on band A are still enjoying more energy than those on the other bands. Satisfying our customers will always remain our priority,” he said. 
(NAN)