By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North-Central, in Minna)
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Niger state Council, has called on the state government to prevail on the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to desist from compelling customers to provide transformers and other components as a precondition for being supplied with electricity.
The journalists also raised the alarm over the new trend of crime involving small boys posing as beggars and scavengers, loitering around waste dumps near residential areas but serving as spies or informants to criminals, breaking into homes or rob victims at gun points.
“The state government and the security agencies should as a matter of urgency, shift intelligence to the new type of criminals posing as scavengers and roaming the streets, but who indeed are criminals or informants to criminals who steal, rob and abduct people for ransom”, the union said.
The union in a Communique also expressed worry over the increasing poverty level and hunger in the country and therefore wants Governor Abubakar Sani Bello-led administration to inter-face with marketers to bring the cost of basic food items to a pocket friendly level.
Niger state is known to be one of the food baskets of Nigeria with land large enough for any type of farming, and fertile enough and available manpower. These, the journalists however argued, are in the past as many homes today can hardly afford a single balanced meal per day.
“The state government should as a matter of urgency, take practical steps to ensure food security. This is to mitigate imminent famine due to high cost of food stuff caused by armed bandit whose activities has made it very difficult for farmers to engage in serious farming in two successive rainy seasons”.
While struggling to have at least a meal per day, the union said it is sad that customers were being short-changed by AEDC who mandates them to provide transformers and electrical components to support a business that only the company enjoy the profits.
The union says it is not happy that electricity supply in parts of Niger state, Minna, the state capital and environs in particular were yet to improve. The AEDC have continued to take advantage of the ignorant of customers for their exploitative tendencies.
The Communique jointly signed by; Onifade Abayomi and Jibrin Kodo Chairman and Secretary of the Communique drafting committee and, Comrade Usman Mohammed Chiji, said the Council Secretary wants the epileptic power supply which continues to stagnate economic growth and development to end.
It noted with dismay, a situation whereby some communities are subjected to months of black-out due to collapsed Transformers that should have ordinarily be the responsibility of the AEDC. It therefore pleaded with the state government to live up to the constitutional responsibilities of protecting the interests of the citizenry.
The Congress nevertheless commended the state government for their efforts in providing motorable roads, but regretted that a section of the Minna-Paiko road, Sango area, is fast turning to a death trap, hence needs urgent attention.
On the alleged dismissal of over 700 state workers, the union pleaded with the Governor Sani Bello led administration to ensure that innocent workers who are not found wanting in any way do not suffer in the various verification exercises. NNL.
