UMUODUM COMMUNITY IN MBAUKWU, AWKA-SOUTH LGA OF ANAMBRA STATE PETITIONS NERC OVER EEDC’S N38.1M LIGHT BILL. (PHOTO).

 Umuodum community in Mbaukwu, Awka-South LGA of Anambra State petitions NERC over EEDC’s N38.1m Light bill

The people of Umuodum, Ogba Quarters in Mbaukwu town, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, have petitioned the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission against the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, over alleged connivance to defraud them of the sum of N38.1million, said to be unpaid electricity bill issued to the community.

In the petition signed by Chukwuebuka Daniel, Nweke Odum and Chukwuma Augustin Igboanugo, and made available to journalists on Tuesday, the community accused the EEDC of working with some of their past leaders to defraud them of the electricity bills they have earlier paid to the EEDC.

The community gave their EEDC Customer Account details as, EEDC Customer Account No: 138994651, EEDC Customer Name as ODUM S/S and address as, Umuodum, Ogba, Mbaukwu.

They alleged that the electricity company disconnected power supply to their community on the grounds that the community is owing N38.1 million electricity bill, and in reaction they contacted the former Chairman of Umuodum Ogba Village Development Union, who was allegedly given the electricity bill to settle EEDC for explanation.

The petition read, “We are surprised to receive from the youth leader of Umuodum village, a letter from EEDC dated November 28, 2025 demanding the payment of the N38,123,672.73, community electricity bill to EEDC"

“We are angry that EEDC knows the channel through which it should serve the electricity bill debt to Umuodum people, but it decided to serve the community the electricity bill debt through the youth leader, who is an inappropriate channel to serve such letter to the community"

For EEDC to have given Mr Abana the printout of the indebtedness, only to turned around to deliver the demand letter of electricity bill payment to the youth leader is in itself evident proof that EEDC knows that it is acting in collusion with those who may have embezzled the money contributed for the payment of the community electricity bill, hence it thinks it can provoke community crisis in Umuodum to shield itself and cohorts, not knowing that Umuodum people are now wise.

“As members of Umuodum community, we cannot contribute money to pay for the same electricity bill a second time, when we have been informed that the electricity bills have been settled by the leadership of Chief Johnbosco Okafor."

"We therefore urge NERC to invite EEDC to present before NERC Panel in Awka a documentation of the paid electricity bill made in the name of Umuodum Village Ogba, Mbaukwu or to state on record by submitting to the commission’s panel a signed official statement that Chief Okafor’s administration did not make any monetary payment in respect of the community electricity bill to EEDC, as was stated in the hand over note to his successor.”