Protesters Shut Down YEDC Offices in Yola Over Worsening Power Supply
From Umar Dankano, Yola.
Operations at the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) were completely halted on Monday as members of the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTION) staged a massive protest over what they described as persistent and unbearable electricity shortages across Adamawa State.
When this reporter visited the YEDC headquarters as early as 7:00 a.m., protesters in large numbers had already blocked all entry points to the building.
Many carried placards with inscriptions condemning the “epileptic power supply” that residents say has crippled both households and businesses.
Speaking during the protest, the State Contact Person of MOTION, Comrade Musa Andrew, said the demonstration became necessary after several attempts to engage YEDC failed.
According to him, residents in many communities have endured months of inadequate power supply despite being charged for higher service bands.
Andrew explained that letters of complaint were submitted to YEDC on November 27, with copies sent to the Police, DSS, Public Complaints Commission, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), but the company has yet to respond.
He lamented that communities in Jambutu, Numan, Demsa, Yola South, and Yola North all share similar experiences of prolonged outages.
“Where I live, we are classified under Band B and supposed to get 8–12 hours of power daily, but we barely receive two hours and even that comes in 30-minute intervals,” he said.
Andrew added that while a few areas under Band A enjoy up to three days of uninterrupted electricity, the majority of the state remains in darkness.
He called on the Federal Government to revoke YEDC’s operational license if the company cannot meet its obligations.
Some residents, including Ladi Demsa and Doris Elem, also appealed for improved service delivery, saying the poor electricity supply has severely affected their livelihoods.
Efforts to obtain a response from YEDC were unsuccessful, as calls to the company’s Communications Officer, Mrs. Blessing Tunoh, were not returned at the time of filing this report.
