Electricity Bill Hike Sparks Protest in Umuahia: N10,000 Becomes N60,000

The Enugu Electricity Power Distribution Company (EEDC) headquarters on Bende Road was invaded by some 1,000 irate Umuahia residents on Tuesday in protest of the company’s exorbitant electricity prices.

Additionally, they marched to the Abia State Government House in Umuahia to urge Governor Alex Otti to step in and address the issue of “crazy bills.”

According to the demonstrators, who claimed to have traveled from various locations inside the capital of Abia State, their September 2025 energy rates were more than 400% more than their September 2025 prices.

They claim that each apartment was billed between N40,000 and N60,000 or more, including sections without power. This is a huge rise from the N10,000 to N12,000 they paid last month.

With placards in hand and songs of sadness, the Umuahia electricity users declared their refusal to pay the new bills and accused EEDC of trying to eradicate them.

“This month, they handed me N45,000 instead of the N12,000 I received last month. How am I going to pay these bills as a small business owner? According to Mr. Kelechi Anamekwe, who lives on Enugu Road in Umuahia.

Workers at EEDC ran below when they noticed the enormous crowd swarming inside their building, disrupting operations.

A top government official spoke to the nonviolent demonstrators as they marched from the EEDC office on Bende Road to the Abia State Government House in Umuahia.