Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Residents of Fear God Street in the Bonsaac area of Asaba, Delta State, are demanding urgent action after spending millions of naira on transformer repairs that have left them without power for months. The community accused the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and the local electricity committee of collecting multiple levies, only for the transformer to fail again on July 25, 2026. A video of the protest has gone viral, showing angry residents blocking the street and demanding answers.
Residents alleged they had contributed millions of naira towards repairs and replacement of electricity transformers but remained in darkness after the latest repair attempt. They are now being asked to make fresh contributions for a new 750KVA transformer, with one message seen by DaylightNG putting the cost at over N20 million. In the viral video, an angry resident can be heard saying: "We have paid money. N4.8m, we paid. N5.3m, we paid. Where is the light? We are tired of this darkness".
The chairman of the Bonsaac 1 Transformer Committee, Mr Michael Morah, denied any wrongdoing. He claimed he was not collecting money personally and that all contributions were paid into a community account. He said the community had previously operated an account which became inactive but was later reactivated to receive contributions for the new transformer.
However, a panel set up by the community to investigate allegations against Morah has completed its report, but it has not yet been presented because Morah has refused to convene a meeting. The panel chairman, Mr Okolo Gred, told DaylightNG that residents are demanding Morah step aside after he allegedly remained chairman of the transformer committee for more than a decade. "Personally, and some members of the community, what we are interested in is not necessarily to programme to make him to permit what he has eaten, but for him to step down so that another set of people would be elected," Gred said.
The protest is the latest in a long-running battle between Asaba residents and BEDC over poor service delivery and extortion. In December 2025, residents marched against the company, with some carrying placards reading "Funke must go" and "Bonsaac community donated transformer to BEDC, Funke refused to give approval for installation". In June 2026, residents of Reachman Estate, Asaba, also protested after BEDC demanded over N2 million to install a transformer given to them by the state government. When they raised N1 million, the company allegedly rejected it.
For the residents of Fear God Street, the pain is personal. Many of them are elderly, and they told DaylightNG that they have been buying fuel for generators every day just to survive. "We are not finding this funny anymore," one resident said. The question now is: how many more millions must they pay before BEDC finally restores their power?
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments