Estimated billing: The nightmare of Nigeria’s electricity consumers
his request for comment to their head office in Kano.
Kaduna
Unmetered electricity consumers in Kaduna State have lamented what they described as outrageous electricity charges. They also decried the unnecessary delay in distribution of prepaid meters to homes.
Many residents of the state have complained that electricity bills to their homes had doubled and in some cases tripled in the last one month while some also complained of low current, which they said was not useful to them.
Malam Hassan Bello, who resides at Hayin Banki in Kaduna North Local Government Area, said he had made several attempts to get the prepaid meter but did not. According to him, he recently got a monthly bill of about N6,000, which he said was too high, compared to the rate of electricity he used.
Another resident of Sabon-Gari in Tudun-Wada, Malam Musa, said, “Before now, I used to pay N4,000, but this month, they brought a bill of N9,000 for March. This is unfair. That is why I prefer the prpaid meter. With meter, when there is power failure your credit remains intact. For the past seven years, I have been trying to get a prepaid meter but all my efforts have failed,” he lamented.
However, the head of Corporate Communication, Kaduna Electric, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, explained that the high charges consumers experienced in the last one month were as a result of the increase in power allocation to consumers.
Abdullahi said the Doka area office of the Kaduna Electric had commenced distribution of prepaid meters, saying many parts of Doka, including Malali, U/Rimi and Kabala had gotten.
He, however, lamented that the cost of procuring the meters were expensive. “The meters are not manufactured in Nigeria but abroad, and after buying, they need to be calibrated. The 50,000 meters we are presently installing in Sokoto, Kebbi and Kaduna cost about $25m when they were bought last year.
“As it is now, it is difficult to get loans from banks because when they see our books, they see that we are not doing well. As such, we cannot guarantee that we can meter our customers at a particular time. However, based on the agreement reached at the inception, we are supposed to meter 100,000 customers per year for the next five years in the four states we operate.
“It is our wish that every customer be metered, but it is difficult. We urge customers to be patient,” he said.
When the Federal Government sold the power distribution to private investors, with the condition that they will meter all consumers across the country, Muhammad Mahmoud was very excited. But years after the privatisation, Mahmoud, who lives along the Nnamdi Azikiwe bypass, Kaduna, is disappointed.
“I am at the mercy of the heartless Kaduna Distribution Company (KedCo) marketers. They bill me as they wish. And I can’t talk. They will just send thugs to disconnect the power from my house,’’ he said.
He said all his efforts to secure the prepaid meter were not fruitful “despite parting away with N18,000. I went to the KedCo office in Kabala West and I was told a prepaid meter cost N27,000. I was told to join the queue of consumers waiting for the meter. And I paid N18,000 through a PoS in the office. But almost two years after that, the meter is not forthcoming. I was calling one Abdullahi who was in charge of the prepaid meter, but I was later told he was laid off. That is the end of the story.’’
He added, “The distribution company became more reckless. I was paying an estimated billing of about N4,500 monthly, whether there was light or not. Suddenly, a N10,000 bill was brought and I became enraged. I confronted the lady that usually brought the bill. I was shocked when she said, ‘they were told I was producing ice block’ hence the hike in my bill. I said they were reckless. What stopped them from coming to the house to check out the claim? I invited them to do so. I vowed not to pay that outrageous amount.’’
He said the bill was later “reduced to N5,700. It had been at that for months before it was arbitrarily increased to N8,500 again. This is scandalous and nobody seems to care again. And no prepaid meter is on sight.’’
Lagos
Electricity consumers in Lagos are not left out of the protests and criticisms over the regime of estimated billing system. For instance, the Ailegun/Burknor Community Youth Development Association, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Lagos reportedly raised eyebrow over outrageous bills imposed by the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC).
A resident of Obawole in the Iju area of Lagos, Mr. Stephen Omotayo, told our correspondent that he had applied for a prepaid meter for several months but was yet to be given by the Ikeja Electric. He said the development automatically made the power company impose between N9,000 and N10,000 estimated bills on his two-bedroom apartment. He wondered why the company denied him the meters, having completed all the processes.
But the Assistant General Manager, Public Relations of the company, Godwin Idemudia, told our correspondent that his company was on top of the situation to get its customers metered in due time. He said the company had been deploying the meters to zones in order to enhance spread among its 600,000 customers, adding that the company is not hoarding the prepaid meters to deliberately impose estimated billing on them.
The company’s chief executive officer, Amoda Oladele, an engineer, said they planned to install 200,000 prepaid meters for consumers in 2017 to end estimated billing.
The public relations manager of Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofolue, did not respond to our correspondent’s request for comment.
Jos
Some residents of Nasarawa, Tudun Wada and Anguwan Rogo, who are yet to be metered, complained of exorbitant estimated electricity bills in the last few months, saying the improvements in electricity supply was only marginal.
Abubakar Iliyasu, who lives in Nasarawa, told Daily Trust on Sunday that they were billed N9, 922 as energy charge in February, with N492 as VAT. Iliyasu, however, said that with a debt of N512, 385.82 owed the electricity company, they could not request for meters. Instead, they paid half of their monthly bills to ensure they were not disconnected.
The public relations officer of Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Lubabatu Rabi’u, said they had been metering based on clusters, but were yet to get to some areas such as Nasarawa and Anguwan Rogo.
The Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) also visited the company’s head office in Jos and ordered them to halt further distribution of meters.
Nasarawa
Electricity consumers in Nasarawa State also expressed concern over their inability to access prepaid meters despite epileptic power supply, especially in Lafia, the state capital and some major towns in the state.
The situation prompted the state House of Assembly to summon the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) following thousands of petitions and complaints by consumers over poor power supply and overestimation.
“Our people have complained over the estimated billing system by the AEDC. They have been paying for light without enjoying it. Another issue is that disconnected houses were billed at the end of every month. It is not supposed to be,” the speaker, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi said.
Answering questions from the lawmakers, the Director of Corporate Service of the AEDC, Abimbola Ogunbiyi, an engineer, called on consumers to be patient as the company was doing everything possible to improve on the supply of electricity.
Sokoto
Some electricity consumers in Sokoto State also lamented over outrageous billing, saying they were being forced to pay for what they did not consume.
“I do not have meter in my house. I pay over N4000 every month despite epileptic power supply in our area,” Malam Musa, a resident of Bado area in Wamakko Local Government Area said. He recalled how he was billed over N10,000 monthly by the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company some months ago.
“I wonder what parameter they are using to arrive at that figure because it is not commensurate with what we are consuming monthly. Electricity supply is not regular,” he said
Another consumer, Isma’il Muhammad of Gagi area, said he was forced to pay a handwritten bill of N3000 monthly despite very short supply.
“My bill is not computerised and they make it fixed,” he said.
When contacted, KAEDCO’s Business Development and Relationship Officer in charge of Sokoto State, Abubakar Hashim, dismissed the allegation, saying they were charging customers based on what they consumed.
According to him, they were using what he called load-reading to know the monthly consumption of unmetered customers.
Yobe
Electricity consumers in Yobe State have accused the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) of outrageous billing and unfair rationing in favour of viewing centres.
An investigation carried out by Daily Trust on Sunday revealed that most of the residents that complained did not have prepaid meters. Modu Kawu, an unmetered electricity consumer in Damaturu, complained that the YEDC gave him a bill of N15,000 when he did not have the capacity to consume one third of the said amount.
“I was offsetting a bill of N3,000 before they suddenly confronted me with this outrageous amount. How can a three-bedroom bungalow consume this amount? They should recheck the billing system and