Concerned Irigwe youths have called for an investigation into the N194.9 million debt allegedly owed the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) by the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise, saying the development has prolonged the electricity blackout in Miango, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, for 11 years.
The youths made the demand through their spokesman, Bitrus Adamu Izhi, at a press conference at the Plateau State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Jos, on Tuesday.
Izhi said the electricity crisis began in 2015 when JEDC disconnected Miango over debts allegedly owed by electricity consumers in the community.
He said the registered customer population in Miango stood at 682 before a meeting with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in Abuja in December 2016, while the outstanding post-privatisation debt at the time was N51,418,095.27.
According to him, the debt was subsequently reduced to N38 million after reconciliation in June 2017, following an intervention by NERC.
Izhi said NERC directed that the N38 million debt be migrated and shared among individual metered customers in Miango.
He claimed that the consumers had since remitted about N28 million, leaving a balance of N10 million.
However, Izhi alleged that a committee constituted by the District Head of Miango to mobilise residents towards settling the outstanding debt later went beyond its mandate by establishing and registering the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise.
He said the company, with Mr Williams Chatalas as chairman, subsequently entered into an arrangement with JEDC to collect electricity payments from consumers in the community.
“JEDC then unilaterally, without knowledge or consent of the consumers, suspended their accounts and registered a single account through which the intermediary company began collecting electricity bills from consumers in Miango,” Izhi stated.
The spokesman said residents believed that the money being collected, including funds raised through donations from concerned indigenes, was being used to offset the electricity debt.
“Sadly, this was not so, and JEDC then decided to disconnect the entire town,” he said.
Izhi further alleged that the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise was indebted to JEDC to the tune of N194,912,366.86 as of May 2023.
He said the development had raised questions over how the initial debt, which was reportedly reduced to N38 million, was now associated with a debt of almost N195 million.
Izhi called on JEDC to recover the alleged N194.9 million debt from the community enterprise, while the individual consumers would work towards settling the remaining N10 million allegedly owed by them once their accounts were restored.
He also demanded full disclosure of the amount collected by the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise from its inception and details of how the funds were spent.
“We demand immediate explanation from the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise on how it transacted on behalf of our people with the JEDC,” Izhi said.
“We want full disclosure of how much it raised from inception when it was inaugurated as a committee before it transformed itself to a company, with details of funds collected and expended in offsetting the initial debt claimed by JEDC.”
The youths also demanded that the enterprise stop transacting with JEDC on behalf of Miango electricity consumers, alleging that it had failed to account to the people.
Izhi said efforts by the paramount ruler of the Irigwe people, Reverend Ronku Aka (rtd.), to resolve the matter had failed because the committee allegedly refused to account for funds it collected on behalf of the community despite several invitations.
He said the paramount ruler subsequently used his veto to dissolve the committee.
The spokesman appealed to Governor Caleb Mutfwang to intervene by setting up an investigative committee to examine the activities of the community enterprise and determine how funds collected from residents were utilised.
He also called for an investigation into the role allegedly played by JEDC in the arrangement between the distribution company and the community enterprise.
“Where culpability is established, we want anti-graft agencies such as the EFCC, ICPC, and the police to arrest anyone found guilty of betraying the trust of our poor, vulnerable and innocent people,” Izhi added.
The youths also questioned the legality of JEDC’s alleged suspension of individual consumer accounts and the transfer of electricity bill collection to a third party.
Izhi asked whether the arrangement was permitted under Nigeria’s electricity regulatory framework or contrary to established practice.
He said the 11-year blackout had affected farmers, students, artisans, traders, health workers and families in the community.
Izhi recalled that Governor Mutfwang had publicly committed to restoring electricity to Miango during last year’s Irigwe Cultural Day and appealed to him to act on the commitment.
He also announced plans by the group to stage a peaceful protest to draw attention to the prolonged blackout and demand accountability and restoration of electricity supply to the community.
