The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) has called on motorists to exercise caution while driving on the highways during the rainy season.
It said the caution became necessary owing to the increasing damage on power facilities by motorists.
The call was made by the Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh in Enugu while reacting to the series of accidents recorded recently within EEDC network, which has affected service delivery to customers within the affected areas.
According to Ezeh, a Toyota Camry car on Monday hit down one of the High Tension (HT) poles in Premier Layout area of Enugu, pulling down five HT poles, leaving customers served by the line in darkness. Also, on the same day, at Emene, near Enugu, an accident involving a trailer affected one HT pole, leaving the Industrial customers within the area without power supply.
“These incidents are one out of many recorded within our network and it has always impacted negatively on our revenue, because losses are incurred as a result”, Ezeh lamented.
He recounted that earlier in the month, a Toyota saloon car was involved in an accident at ESUT, Agbani, knocking down one Low Tension (LT) pole, while along Amuri Road Abakpa, a trailer broke one HT and two LT poles.
He added that at Ugwuonyeama, a truck knocked down one HT pole and at Nsukka Road, 9th Mile, a trailer knocked down one HT pole.
Ezeh attributed some of the causes of these accidents to overspeeding, use of mobile phones while driving, drunkenness, and distractions.
“In some cases, vehicles that are faulty are put on the road and they end up causing more havoc in our network,” he lamented.
The company’s spokesman reiterated that the organization was working assiduously to ensure that its network was stable and that customers enjoyed services, stressing that “we wouldn’t want these service disruptions to affect the efforts being made.
“We, therefore, appeal to motorists to exercise caution, reduce their speed, and also ensure that their vehicles are in good condition before putting them on the road”.
Meanwhile, Ezeh announced that Dr. Ernest Raphael Mupwaya has joined the top management team of the EEDC as Executive Director in charge of Technical and Operations, following his appointment by the Board of Directors of the Company.
He said the appointment took effect on the 25th April, 2022.
