FCT electricity consumers decry unfair transfer to Band A

Some Electricity Consumers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the transfer of their tariff to Band A while they were not having 20 hours power supply.

In separate interviews with our reporter on Tuesday, the consumers who reside in Kubwa, Lugbe and environs said their transfer to Band A by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) was unfair.

It was reported that Band A customers are those who enjoy at least 20 hours of electricity daily and are expected to pay N209.5l/KiloWatts hour(KWh).

Mrs Eniola Williams, a civil servant who reside in Kubwa said that she was shocked when she recharged her meter and was given 22.2 unit for N5,000
Williams said that the area she lived in Kubwa hardly gets power supply up to 9 hours a day.

“Why should I be paying for Band A services when I hardly get power supply for 9 hours a day? This is unfair and not acceptable.

“The first time I bought electricity and was given 22.2 units for N5,000 , I thought it was a mistake until I bought again and found out the same thing happened.

“AEDC should look into this issue seriously because it is not right to be collecting money for services not rendered,” she said.

Another consumer residing in the same area, Mr Moses Okoro said that AEDC was not doing the right thing by collecting money for services not rendered.

According to him, he recharged N2,000 and got just 8.2 units of electricity while he was not suppose to be on Band A with the hours of power supply to his area.

“Why should I be made to pay for the service of Band A when I don’t get power supply up to 9 hours in a day? AEDC should check very well and do the right thing instead of billing people arbitrarily,” he said.

Another consumer residing in Lugbe, Mr Ernest Osagie said that he recharged N10,000 and was given 44.4 units of electricity.

Osagie said that when he saw the units and made inquiries from the neighbours in the same area, most of them said that they were still buying at the old tariff rate.

‘This is not fair at all, how can people in the same area and on the same transformer be paying different electricity tariff to one power distribution company?

“I cannot understand the way the movement of consumers to Band A is taking place. So, AEDC should please look into the issue and make amend,” he said.

Mrs Bola Akinwale, residing in Lugbe also said that she recharged N2,000 and got 8.2 units of electricity.

According to her, the neighbours in the same compound were still on the old tariff, wondering why the movement to Band A should be selective.

Speaking on the issue, Mr Adeyemi Jonathan, Chief Business Officer, Wuse Cluster, AEDC said that, customers on Band A who were not enjoying up to 20 hours of electricity, would automatically be downgraded to Band B.

He therefore called on affected customers to lodge their complaints to the AEDC, for necessary action.

According to him, no system is 100 per cent perfect, adding that AEDC was just migrating to feeder billing structure and such errors were inevitable

“We are aligning every customer to transformer and the transformer to the feeder, so, it is a process.

“Customers who have complaints should inform the AEDC and they will be changed to the right Band and refund will be made,” he said.