Electricity consumers in Ikorodu decry high bills

Some electricity consumers living around Odogunyan Military Barracks in Ikorodu have condemned the high electricity charges they received in August and September.

The consumers also condemned the discriminatory bills in the community.

They told our correspondent that the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company had doubled and in some cases tripled its charges although power supply had deteriorated in the area.

Mr Saheed Yusuf, the Chairman of Egba-Otun Community Development Association (CDA) in Ita-oluwo, said that the electricity bills had been outrageous since August.

He told our correspondent that houses within the CDA were charged the same rate until July when things changed.

“We all were billed a little above N3,000 across board up to July, but in August many of the houses were charged more than N7,000,

“Meanwhile, some mega structures and shopping complexes were billed about N2000 and others a little above N3000.

“The difference in the bills is questionable in a community where the electric company does not have a mechanism to measure what each house consumes because none of us has a meter.

“The practice used to be that whatever power is consumed by the entire community will be calculated and shared equally amongst the consumers as we have been made to understand,’’ Yusuf said.

Mrs Ruth Adaoha, a former Treasurer at Ereko CDA, said that the poor electricity supply since July to the community did not justify the bills they had been receiving.

She told our correspondent that her August and September bills were above N13, 000.

“The Ikeja electric company did not provide us any form of assistance some months back when many poles fell during the rains.

“And now through self-help we raised the poles, bought many more and had to put the wires back on them.

“So, we are dismayed that we now have to suffer to pay offensive bills from such a company that does not really cater for its customers,’’ she said.

Mr Yomi Egbejobi, the Secretary of Harmony CDA in Ita-oluwo, said that consumers in the area were being fleeced because of the absence of pre-paid meters.

“What we get here is estimated bills and the charges are far cry from the power we get.

“Imagine that a one-room apartment close to my house got more than N13, 000 in August and September bills put together.

“But a three-bedroom apartment in which a car wash business is attached to got below N7000 in those two months,’’ he said.

Efforts by our correspondent to get reaction of officials of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company on the increase in the charges and the disparities proved abortive.

A marketer in the company, who identified himself as Kazeem, simply said: “we are looking into the issue’’.