TARIFF WAR PLUNGES ENUGU INTO DARKNESS

For four straight days, large swathes of Enugu State have been wrapped in darkness—not by nature, but by a power tussle.

What started as a regulatory tariff adjustment has snowballed into a full-blown electricity crisis, leaving homes and businesses without light or answers.

The spark? A decision by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to cut Band A tariff rates from 209.50 to 160.40 per kWh.

In response, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) slashed the energy supply to MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited (MEDL)—the company distributing electricity within Enugu.

WHO’S IN THE DARK?

Neighborhoods like Uwani, GRA, Ogui, Coal Camp, Zoo Estate, Ngwo, Okpara Avenue, and many others are now in blackout mode, with no timeline for restoration.

BLAME GAME BEGINS

MEDL has washed its hands off the crisis:

“We’re powerless—literally. EEDC cut our energy by half. We can’t distribute what we don’t have.”

Meanwhile, frustration grows among residents:

“How can citizens suffer because companies can’t agree on money? We can’t pump water, our food is spoiling, and security is at risk,” lamented a local in Achara Layout.