…the protest temporarily disrupted activities at the Umuahia EEDC office.
UMUAHIA, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | About 1,000 aggrieved residents of Umuahia, the Abia State capital, on Tuesday staged a massive protest against the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) over what they described as “outrageous and exploitative” electricity bills.
The protesters, drawn from various parts of the city, stormed the EEDC office on Bende Road before marching to the Abia State Government House to demand the intervention of Governor Alex Otti.
Chanting protest songs and carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Stop Killing Us with Bills” and “We Pay for Darkness,” the angry residents accused the power company of issuing bills that had skyrocketed by over 400 percent within a month.
According to several protesters, the September 2025 electricity bills ranged between ₦40,000 and ₦60,000 per flat a sharp rise from the ₦10,000 to ₦12,000 they were billed in August. Some residents also claimed they were billed despite not receiving power supply for days.
“Last month, I got a ₦12,000 bill, but this month they gave me ₦45,000. Where will a petty trader like me get the money to pay such bills?” lamented Mr. Kelechi Anamekwe, a resident of Enugu Road.
The protest temporarily disrupted activities at the EEDC office, as staff reportedly locked their doors and fled upon sighting the swelling crowd of demonstrators.
From the EEDC premises, the protesters moved en masse to the Government House in Umuahia, where they were received by a senior government official who assured them that Governor Alex Otti would look into their grievances.
The official reportedly promised that a high-level meeting would be convened between the Abia State Government, EEDC management, and representatives of the protesters to address the matter and prevent future occurrences.
The demonstration comes amid rising public frustration over electricity tariffs, poor supply, and mounting economic pressure on Nigerian households.
As of press time, EEDC has not issued an official response to the protest.
