Benin Disco Bemoans Blowing Up of Gas Pipelines

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Managing Director of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Mrs Funke Osibodu, has lamented the continuous blowing up of gas and oil pipelines by militants in the Niger Delta, saying that if urgent steps are not taken, the trend is capable of plunging the nation into darkness.

She however noted that improved power which is being experienced currently in some areas was from the hydro power due to the increase in water level in the three hydro power stations in the country.

The Benin Disco boss also disclosed that the company had distributed 315,000 pre-paid meters across the four states under its operation, notably, Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states.

She added further that it inherited 888,000 customers when it took over from PHCN but after a baseline study which weeded out the ghost customers, the company now have 745,000 customers across the four states.

Addressing journalists on Monday as part of the stakeholders’ meeting of the power sector held at the premises of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) along Dapple Road, Benin City, Osibodu who was represented by the Edo state Head of BEDC, Fidelis Obishai, lamented that the nation achieved about 5,000 megawatts earlier in the year but the activities of Niger Delta Avengers deflated it to 3,000 megawatts.

According to her, “Recently, we are all aware of the story of the Niger Delta Avengers which has affected gas pipelines. In the past two months after we made 5,000 megawatts in this country, from the month of March, April, May, generation dropped to 1000 megawatts because the water level in the hydro stations reduced, while the gas pipelines were blown off”.

Further details later