Governor Monday Okpebholo on Monday joined youths and residents protesting at Ring Road in Benin City over persistent blackout and billing concerns linked to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), urging calm while promising swift stakeholder engagement.
Addressing the demonstrators, the governor expressed solidarity with them, noting that electricity challenges affect 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 stated that any form of short-changing of Edo residents impacts 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 residents that concrete steps would be taken to address their concerns.
“The only way we can tackle 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 in the engagement.
“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 earlier converged on Ring Road, a major commercial hub in Benin City, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We say no to BEDC oppression,” “No light, no bill,” and “Edo people say no to bulk billing.” They decried persistent outages, estimated billing practices, and the high cost of prepaid meters.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Comrade Ogbidi Emmanuel 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 and calling on BEDC to publish the names of beneficiaries. He alleged that meters reportedly cost between ₦150,000 and ₦400,000.
The protest remained peaceful, with security personnel maintaining order as demonstrators dispersed following the governor’s address.
As of press time, BEDC had not issued an official response to the allegations.