Plateau Community Accuses Jos Electricity JEDC Of Keeping Miango Town In Darkness For 11 Years, Demands Probe | Sahara Reporters

According to the youths, Miango, located about 20 miles west of Jos, has remained without electricity since JEDC disconnected the town over alleged debts owed by electricity consumers.

Concerned Irigwe youths have accused the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) and a community-backed energy company of prolonging an 11-year blackout in Miango town in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, demanding the immediate restoration of electricity to the town.

The youths made the demand on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, during a press conference at the Plateau State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Jos, where they called for accountability over the circumstances surrounding the disconnection of the community from the electricity grid in 2015.

According to the youths, Miango, located about 20 miles west of Jos, has remained without electricity since JEDC disconnected the town over alleged debts owed by electricity consumers.

The youths said the registered customer population in Miango stood at 682 before a meeting with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in Abuja in December 2016, while the outstanding post-privatisation debt was put at N51.4 million.

They said the debt was subsequently reconciled and reduced by JEDC to N38 million as of June 2017 following NERC’s intervention.

The youths said NERC directed that the N38 million debt be migrated and shared among metered individual customers in Miango.

“Of this 38 million Naira, the consumers have remitted 28 million and are left with a balance of 10 million Naira,” the youths said.

They, however, alleged that an initiative established to facilitate the payment of the debt later became the source of a deeper crisis.

According to them, the District Head of Miango, His Highness Daniel Chega, constituted a committee to mobilise residents and explore ways of settling the outstanding electricity debt.

The youths alleged that the committee subsequently exceeded its mandate by establishing and registering a company known as Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise, with Williams Chatalas as chairman.

Other members listed by the youths include John Willy Iche as secretary, Haruna Jibo as financial secretary and Pastor Emmanuel Benedict Zamfara as treasurer.

The youths alleged that the company, which they said was established without the knowledge or consent of electricity consumers, entered into an arrangement with JEDC to collect electricity payments from residents.

They further alleged that JEDC subsequently suspended individual consumer accounts and created a single account through which the intermediary company collected electricity bills from Miango residents.

“Members of the community assumed all funds earlier paid and those raised through donations from concerned illustrious sons of the land were being used to offset the debt. Sadly, this was not so, and JEDC then decided to disconnect the entire town,” the youths alleged.

The youths claimed that by May 2023, the amount allegedly owed JEDC by the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise had risen to N194,912,366.86.

They urged JEDC to find a way of recovering the alleged debt from the company while residents work towards paying the outstanding N10million attributed to the original consumer debt once their individual accounts are restored.

The youths also accused the community energy company of failing to account for funds collected from residents despite several invitations by the paramount ruler of Rigweland, His Royal Highness, the Braa Nggwe Rigwe Reverend Ronku Aka (rtd).

They said the paramount ruler eventually invoked his veto to dissolve the committee after repeated attempts to obtain an account of the funds allegedly collected on behalf of the people failed.

Despite the dissolution, the youths said Miango remains without electricity.

They consequently questioned the legality of JEDC’s alleged decision to suspend individual consumer accounts and allow a third party to collect electricity payments on behalf of the company.

“Was the Jos Electricity Distribution Company, JEDC, right to have suspended the accounts of consumers in the manner it did and sublet the collection of its bills to a third party?” they asked.

“Is this provided for in the Electricity Act or does it run contrary to the norm?”

The youths said the prolonged blackout had devastated the lives and livelihoods of farmers, students, artisans, traders, health workers and families in the community.

They thanked individuals, groups and non-Irigwe communities that had supported their campaign while insisting that they would continue to pursue the matter through peaceful and lawful means.

The youths also acknowledged the efforts of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, and other stakeholders in Rigweland who they said had contributed towards resolving the crisis.

However, they warned prominent personalities who had remained silent over the blackout that their “actions and inactions” would be remembered by the people.

The youths demanded that the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise immediately explain how it conducted transactions with JEDC on behalf of electricity consumers in the town.

They also demanded full disclosure of the funds raised by the initiative from its inception as a committee and subsequently as a registered company.

They specifically requested details of all money collected from residents and donations, as well as how the funds were expended towards settling the electricity debt.

The youths further demanded that the company stop representing Miango electricity consumers in dealings with JEDC, alleging that it had failed to demonstrate accountability to the community.

They also called on JEDC to restore all suspended consumer accounts and stop dealing with the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise regarding electricity consumers in the town.

The youths appealed to Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang to intervene in the crisis and establish an investigative committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the 11-year blackout.

They recalled that Mutfwang had publicly committed to restoring electricity to Miango during the annual Irigwe Cultural Day last year.

They urged the governor to fulfil that commitment by setting up a probe that would compel the Miango Community Energy Project Enterprise to open its books for scrutiny.

“Where it is found culpable, be made to account for all it collected from the people,” they demanded.

They also want the proposed investigation to determine JEDC’s role in the establishment of the community energy company and its alleged decision to allow the company to collect electricity payments from residents.

The youths said anyone found culpable should face investigation and prosecution by anti-graft agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the police.

They further announced plans to stage a peaceful protest to draw national attention to what they described as a “great injustice” against the people of Miango.

“We shall be asking questions to seek clarity, accountability and normalcy through restoration of electricity supply and ending these eleven years of darkness,” they said.