Mass Protest over Epileptic Power Supply in Niger State

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Minna, the Niger State capital tuesday to protest the epileptic power supply to the state capital and its environs.

The Abuja Electricity Development Company (AEDC) in the last couple of weeks has embarked on what it called “load shedding,” attributing the development to drop in supply from the national grid.

The protesters carrying placards with various inscriptions attempted to storm the Minna headquarters of the AEDC but were stopped by the police which blocked all the roads leading to the office.

The protests were said to have been organised by a relation of the state governor known as Usman Bello, the National Vice President of the Youth Council of Nigeria comrade Mohammed Mohammed and a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Mamood (Foster ).

The protesters wore black dresses and black arm bands and were led by a truck loaded with public address system which blared music which the demonstrators danced to.

THISDAY gathered that the police had earlier made the conveners to sign an undertaking that the protest would be peaceful and orderly though the police and other security organisations maintained a reasonable distance from the protesters as they moved from street to street chanting anti AEDC slogans.

The demonstrators presented their demands to the Regional Manager of the AEDC, Mr. Nazi Akubuko, who assured them that the poor electricity situation was already being addressed.

At the government house where they also predented their demands, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello promised to relay their message to the appropriate authoruty.

Recently, Governor Bello had said he had reported the AEDC to President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the National Assembly asking for their intervention in the poor power supply situation in the state.