Some electricity consumers in Asaba and environ on Wednesday protested against what they described as ‘outrageous electricity bill’ for the month of April by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in Delta State.
Those who spoke to our reporters at the company’s Business District Headquarters along Anwai Road, Asaba, said the April bill served them by the company was based on estimations, expressing worries that the company had continued to exploit them using estimated billings system and had refused to make the prepaid meter available to them.
Loading ...According to Mr. Musa Shaibu, who resides at Ibusa Road, Asaba, said, “the April bill is very unbelievable, they served me N20, 000 as against the monthly charges of between N2, 000 and N3, 000 for the past months”, adding “How much is my salary, there is no way I can pay this bill because I know that in the next four months my household cannot consume the N20, 000 on BEDC bill alone”.
He noted that the reading were estimated and what was indicated in the bills were at variance with his current meter reading, “The truth is that the billing system is outrageous, there is fraud in the reading, how can they give N14, 000 bill and above to all consumers in Asaba and environ. “Government must address this issue before it gets out of hand because I am not ready to pay this bill,” he said.
Also, Mrs Elizabeth Oghana, who resides at Loe Okogwu Street, off Direct Labour Road, Asaba, said that her monthly electricity bill galloped from N4, 000 in March to N19, 000 in April.
Hear her, “The challenge is this, I am not living in the house, it is a self-contain apartment, I rented it so that whenever I come into Asaba I can stay there. Last month, March 28, I came and I met N8, 075 electricity bill and went and paid N8, 000 but just few days ago, they brought a bill of N19, 000 for April, this is why I have come to lodge my complaint in this office. I am not operating a factory in the house and like I said I don’t stay there, how can I pay this outrageous bill that I am sure I did not consume,” she said.
Mr Dominic Adewale, resident of Okpanam, said that the company had since January served him with overestimated bills, “I have a functional analogue meter, but they never come to read it and each time they served me with overestimated bill. I had endured since January and had managed to pay their charges but when the April bill of N16, 000 came I could not contain it. So, I protested and wrote a petition, attached photocopy of the April bill coupon and dropped it with the Office in Asaba,” he said.
In her reaction, Mrs Esther Okolie, Corporate Affairs Officer, Asaba and Agbor BEDC Business District, said that the company was working on a template to get the average consumption rate of the consumers, noting that the company was not getting a commensurate returns to power supplied to the consumers due to lots of energy loss.
According to her, the company currently is having a huge backlog of energy supplied to consumers that cannot be accounted for, saying, “This issues will be looked into, this recent development will enable us get the average consumption rate over a period of time by consumers and it will help us check faulty meters and meters that were been by-passed. We know it is very painful, particularly in this period, but the management is working on that”.
“We are currently installing pre-paid meters and mounting them on poles as a way of checking by-passing of the meters by fraudulent individuals.
Okolie charged the protesters to record their current meter reading on their April bills coupons and drop them with the customer care for the attention of the management.
