- Hospitality stakeholders in Delta State decry inconsistent power supply caused by power racketeering, severely impacting businesses and increasing costs
- CEO Austin Wareyai highlights hotels’ dire situation, urging government intervention to hold TCN and BEDC accountable
In Delta State, stakeholders in the hospitality industry have raised concerns over the detrimental effects of inconsistent power supply, particularly in areas like Uvwie, Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, and Udu. They attribute this issue to power racketeering among officials of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and BEDC Plc.
According to these stakeholders, some TCN and BEDC officials are involved in the unauthorized sale and redirection of electricity meant for business districts to residential areas, auctioning it off to the highest bidders.
This situation, they lament, is severely crippling and jeopardizing their businesses due to the unreliable power supply and the soaring costs of diesel. The dedicated power line for businesses, known as the 33 line, which used to provide electricity for up to 18 hours a day, now barely manages six hours or less.
Over the past four months, power supply in areas like Effurun, Uvwie, Warri, Udu, and Sapele has drastically declined, with some locations experiencing weeks-long outages. Consequently, hotels, manufacturing plants, and other enterprises must rely on expensive diesel and fuel to sustain their operations.
Austin Wareyai, the CEO and chairman of Lascurt International Hotel in Uvwie, representing hoteliers, attributes this crisis to electricity racketeering by TCN officials. He highlights many hotels’ dire situation, where all revenues are channelled into diesel procurement, leaving little room for essential expenses like workers’ salaries.
Wareyai further laments the distribution company’s exorbitant billing practices despite the lack of electricity supply. He calls upon Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene by holding TCN and BEDC management accountable and ensuring adequate electricity provision, especially for business districts.
The hotelier urges the government to explore alternative power supply solutions, citing recent initiatives in Aba, Abia State, as examples. He emphasizes the urgency of the situation, stressing that the hospitality industry is a significant employer in Delta State and that failure to address these issues could lead to severe consequences, including security threats due to unpaid salaries and employee resignations.