Electricity consumers lament poor service in Lagos, communities return bills back to EKEDC

Some customers of Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC) over the weekend decried poor service delivery, being allegedly rendered by the company, despite outrageous bills and irregular supply of energy.

The consumers, therefore, threatened to begin massive protest against the company, if it did not remedy the situation urgently.

The communities, however, returned all their electricity bills for the month of September back to the distribution company on the account of outrageous billing.

The consumers vent their angers at the Ifelodun Community Development Association’s town hall meeting on Tuesday in Lagos.

The communities comprised of Alaba-Oro, Mosefejo, Alafia and Amukoko area of Lagos state.

Mr Yusuf Raji, the Chairman of the Landlords and Tenants association of the area, condemned alleged outrageous estimated billings and sharp practices of the staff of EKEDC.

Raji said that many electricity consumers had hoped that with the new owners of the electricity companies in the country, some of the challenges facing the consumers would be resolved the new owners.

“But we are still grappling with the issue of estimated and arbitrary billing among others,’’ he said.

He said that the community had raised the alarm over the “crazy bills’’ being served the consumers by the EKEDC, despite the privatisation of the power sector.

The chairman complained that the community had continually questioned the rationale behind the hike in their monthly bills, despite insignificantly improvement on power supply.

“The entire community will not hesitate to stage a protest on EKEDC if the outrageous billing and prepaid metres are not provided.

“EKEDC has failed to prove its claim of rendering excellent services to consumers despite several meetings and agreements we have had.

According to him, the community has threatened “there will be no further payment of bills or disconnection because the bills served to the community is not in commensurate with the supply of electricity in our area.

“The maximum supply of electricity in the area is not more than 30 percent on a good day while a times  we may not have supply in three (3) four (4) days at all and it will not reflect on the billing.

“ The bills are so exorbitant that an average consumer cannot afford due to the estimation.

Raji said that the community have held series of meetings with their management promising to adjust the bills but we observed that it was just a deceit and instead the bills are getting higher and higher every month.

According to him, the community have now decided to return their bills back to them if they continue billing us arbitrarily.

“We have also agreed that there would be payment of electricity bill, if prepaid meters are not supplied because we don’t know yardstick used in preparing the outrageous estimated bills.

“We wish to inform the general public that until we have a proper and reliable billing system which is prepaid meter, we will continue to protest.

Alhaji Azeez Afolayan, one of the community leader who lives at No, 60 Agbamu Street Alafia has been paying 26,000 naira for monthly electricity bill.

Mrs Funmi Ogunsola, a resident who lives in at Moshalasi Street, Orile, said she had been paying over N15,000 monthly since the beginning of the year despite poor supply.

“I have been receiving a bill of N8,000 before, but now it has gone up to N15,000.

“We have made several complaints, but nothing has been done,” she lamented.

Mr Uche Ogechukwu, a trader who resides in Mosafejo in Alaba, complained that he had been paying an average of N11,000 monthly  as against previous bill of N5,000.

“It is very bad that one has to pay that much even when the power supply has not improved,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer, Majok Medical Centre, Amukoko, Dr Philips Oyenubi said that he was using prepaid meter and because of that, he was not experiencing estimated billing.

“But I believe people, who are not using prepaid meters, are paying more than what those using prepaid meters are paying.

“When I was using the analogue meter, I was paying about N12,000 per month in my three-bedroom apartment.

“But when I started using prepaid meter, I spend less than N3,000 monthly.

“The prepaid meter is the ultimate solution to the problem of over-billing arising from estimation,” Oyenubi said.