By Emmanuel Egbuchinem
Some residents of Boji Boji Metropolis have during an interactive session with Ika Mirror Newspaper reporter on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, frowned at the rate of high tension electricity cable accident that is being recorded on a daily basis in Ika Land. Some of the respondents who bared their mind on the issue urged the management of BEDC to be more committed in the area of preventing high tension electricity cable accidents and in maintaining their facilities continuously, in order to forestall such negative occurrences within Ika Nation.
Here are the contributions of some of the residents who spoke on the issue.
Mr. Emmanuel Uzor, A Businessman, said “First and foremost I sympathize with the high tension electricity cable accident victim and her family over the mishap a fortnight ago. The issue of electricity cable accident is becoming very worrisome in Ika Land, there is no point beating around the bush, the management and staffs of BEDC should live up to expectation,they have not done that in my own view. It is unfortunate that we are still seeing a situation where individuals, group and organization come together and contribute their resources to purchase electric poles/cables and transformers after which they will transfer the materials and equipment to the authorities of BEDC. We were told by the federal government that power has been privatized, yet I don’t know why the issue of outdated equipment and bad structures are so pronounced all over the place, you will see several old and outdated transformers, electricity poles and cables. It is becoming a death trap everywhere though it’s not only in Ika Land that I have been seeing such rot, but it is quite unfortunate anyway. It is high time that the federal government has to use the authorities at their disposal to ensure that the management of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) are made to be more committed to their responsibilities of doing the needful in saving Nigerians from all these unfortunate incidence”.
Mr. Benjamin Igboanugo, A Carton Manufacturer, said “Power issue in Nigeria is a very complex issue, we made it complex not that we don’t have the materials to provide electricity to the citizens, but we made it so complex that we don’t know how to come out of it. Most of these high tension wires were installed in the Seventies and Eighties and nobody to maintain them. I don’t think it is like that in some of the developing world, not to talk of the developed world. What can someone say? Until it kills a prominent person or notable politicians they will not sit up, presently it is killing people, we will talk and when we talk, if it is the will of God they will listen, but we will keep talking.
What I am saying is that BEDC should have a system whereby all these old high tension cable mast and tower that is carrying the electricity cables should be properly maintained because they are bound to collapse. The authority of the power distribution company should have a system of maintaining their equipment say maybe within a time frame of four years there will be a change or maintenance, so that these things will not continue to be killing our people.
We are crying that Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and unknown bandits are killing people, now electricity cable that is in everywhere will also add to the killings, how many Nigerians will remain? The management of BEDC should sit up, I don’t know how we can continue in this society in such situation where there is no maintenance culture? Even in the Bible after Jesus Christ fed Five thousand people they picked up what was remaining so that there wouldn’t be any waste, but here in our country we are always into continuous wasting and no system to curtail the wastages, I don tire o, I don’t know where we are heading to. Let the authorities of BEDC try and continually maintain the mast and towers that are carrying the high tension electricity cables, so that we will be alive in good health”.
Comrade Anthony Nwabianke, A Security Practitioner, said “This issue is good to be addressed because of the adverse effects of the high tension electricity cable accident on some persons in recent times. At this point it will be appreciated by the citizenry for the authorities of BEDC to consider it as a priority to go into adequate maintenance of their facilities such as the replacement of wooden electricity poles in order to ensure that things are being done perfectly, they should also ensure that residential buildings and business structures are not constructed under the high tension electricity cable wires. Furthermore, I urge the BEDC management to ensure that they supervise the staffers effectively that they do the right things that are expected of them and if need be they should ensure that they pay them accordingly, so that BEDC will see the need of providing quality services to the masses. The risk of high tension electricity cable on the citizens is not something that should be overlooked.
Although, for sometime now BEDC have been trying in providing electricity to the masses, but much more is required in maintaining their facilities in order to ensure that the people of Ika Nation enjoy their services to the fullest”.
