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Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has admitted that electricity supply in Asaba is epileptic, but vehemently denied claims that the Delta State capital has been plunged into total darkness.

The company’s Asaba Business Manager, Mr. Emma Omolue, made the admission on Friday, January 9, 2026, when journalists stormed his office to demand answers over the worsening power situation in the city.

Clearly irritated by the questions, Omolue insisted that reports of a complete blackout were exaggerated.

“It is not true that Asaba has been thrown into darkness. You may say there is epileptic supply, but to say the entire city is without electricity is not correct,” he said.

However, journalists countered his claim with firsthand accounts, pointing out that several areas — including West End, WEMA Bank axis, Okelue Street and adjoining neighbourhoods — had been without electricity for days.

One journalist told Omolue bluntly that he lives on Okelue Street, which had not seen power supply for four consecutive days. Attempts by the visibly agitated BEDC boss to dispute the claim fell flat.

The journalists further accused BEDC of gross inefficiency, noting that since the start of 2026, power supply in Asaba had become a frustrating cycle of brief restoration and sudden outages — sometimes lasting barely two minutes. They said the unstable and low voltage supply had damaged home appliances and worsened residents’ hardship.

Omolue conceded that some areas might be experiencing technical faults but claimed BEDC might not be aware because complaints had not been officially lodged with his office.

On the lingering problem of faulty transformers — particularly the one on DLA Road — the Business Manager said the Asaba office had already notified BEDC headquarters in Benin and assured that action would be taken.

Residents’ suffering, journalists stressed, has gone beyond inconvenience. Erratic power supply has made it difficult to pump water, forcing families to roam the streets with jerry cans in search of water and making basic sanitation in homes increasingly difficult.

Until BEDC confronts its operational lapses and delivers reliable electricity, Asaba residents will continue to groan under the burden of generator costs, while artisans, hairdressers, barbers, welders and small business owners remain trapped in a cycle of hope deferred — waiting for BEDC to finally rise to the occasion.