Benin City- The Executive Governor of Edo State Senator Monday Okpebholo on Monday joined protesting youths and residents at Ring Road in Benin City, pledging immediate stakeholder engagement over the lingering electricity crisis involving the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).

The protesters, who had gathered at the busy Ring Road axis, decried prolonged blackouts, estimated billing, and the high cost of prepaid meters. Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We say no to BEDC oppression,” “No light, no bill,” and “Edo people say no to bulk billing,” they demanded urgent intervention.

Addressing the crowd, Okpebholo said he stopped after noticing the gathering and chose to stand in solidarity with the demonstrators.

“When we talk about short-changing Edo people, it affects all of us — our parents in the villages, our brothers and sisters in the cities, and everyone standing here. Why should anyone frustrate Edo people?” the governor said.

He clarified that BEDC is privately owned and not directly under the control of the Edo State Government but assured residents that concrete steps would be taken to address their grievances.

According to him, breaking the distribution monopoly and attracting new investors into the electricity market remains a viable solution.

“The only way we can fight this is to bring new investors into the business of distribution. We will break the monopoly. We want to operate like the telecom sector where you have alternatives. Bringing in more investors will give our people options,” he stated.

The governor announced that a stakeholders’ meeting would be held on Tuesday and urged the protesters to nominate five representatives to participate in the dialogue.

“We need to engage them to see how we can bring in more investors into the business of electricity distribution. Once that is done, we will all be more assured of stable power. Let us remain calm and allow the engagement to take place,” he appealed.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Comrade Ogbidi Emmanuel accused BEDC of oppressive practices, alleging persistent outages despite regular payments by residents.

“We pay for light and they give us darkness,” he said, questioning the transparency of the company’s free meter distribution scheme and calling on the firm to publish the names of beneficiaries.

He further alleged that prepaid meters cost between ₦150,000 and ₦400,000, describing the charges as excessive.

The protest remained peaceful, with security personnel monitoring the situation. Demonstrators later dispersed after the governor’s address. As of press time, BEDC had not issued an official response.