Electricity bills: Group urges National Assembly to save Nigerians from Discos’ extortion
By Eberechi Obinagwam
The National Assembly has been enjoined to invoke its powers of oversight functions and organize a Public Hearing in Lagos to save thousands of residents from extortion by Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) through the prepaid metering system.
In a press statement issued in Lagos on Monday by Africa Anti-Slavery Coalition (AASLAC) and signed by its Convener, Comrade Tony Masha, the group regretted that the prepaid metering system which was intended to bring succour to electricity consumers by ensuring that they pay for what they consume, has become a source of intolerable extortion by DisCos.
“The current practice in parts of Lagos Metropolis is for DisCos to lure unsuspecting consumers to fill forms for prepaid meters and once that has been done, bills will begin to accumulate whether the prepaid meters was installed or not.
“Thus, consumers are trapped through this fraudulent method, into accumulating debts running into hundreds of thousands of Naira for prepaid meters that were never installed let alone connected to the residences of those concerned. This is very unfortunate and must stop,” the group emphasized.
According to AASLAC, in one instance under Ikeja Electric in Gbagada area of Lagos, the prepaid meters of all the flats in a compound were yanked off when the residents had gone out to their various places of works and businesses and on inquiry, they were told to pay more than N367,000 for prepaid meter that was applied for to power the borehole about two years ago but was never installed despite the fact that all reports by the Landlord to Ikeja Electric to stop raising bills on the meter were treated with contempt.
The Group noted that there were cases when two buildings, for example, house 18A and 18B in a street where all residents were disconnected because one or two occupants in one of the buildings were owing electricity bills.
“A Landlord in Ojota area had his light disconnected in his absence and when he inquired, he was told that one tenant who is on estimated billing was owing and he wondered what that has got to do with him.
“In fact, in one pathetic instance, someone who bought a dilapidated building and rebuilt it in Gbagada area was ordered to pay about N500,000 on the excuse that the residents of the property before he built his own owed electricity bills. What a travesty of justice,” the group lamented.
AASLAC urged the National Assembly to visit Discos offices in Lagos undercover and see how citizens are treated like slaves by insensitive and discourteous officials of electricity companies who see themselves as demi-gods, adding that extortion has intensified as we approach the festive period.
“The good news is that the Senate itself has recognized that the privatization of the power sector in 2013 was a total failure and needs to be revisited.
“As part of the sanitization process, the National Assembly must visit DisCos offices throughout the country and listen to tale of woes by Nigerians who suffer all manner of humiliation, extortion and hostility from officers of these electricity companies,” the Group emphasised.
