By Samuel O. Nwankwo
Virtually all customers of Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) in Isuofia, Anambra State, (and perhaps all over the place) have outstanding debt balances ranging from over #120,000 to over #200,000 in their respective current bills. The collective indebtedness of its customers in Isuofia community, Aguata LGA alone is said to amount to over #130milliom (over one hundred and thirty million naira). How did EEDC arrive at this staggering amount/claim?
THE BILLS
The unabating oppressive system of governance in Nigeria has left the common man at the mercy of politicians and the elite who found themselves in positions of authority and public service/responsibilities. Under normal circumstances, the issue of electricity consumption and billing is regulated by law.
In fact, there are regulatory agencies or authorities put in place to ensure conformity to the relevant laws. But Nigeria is a lawless country where might is right. Every electricity consumer who is a customer of EEDC is supposed to have meter installed at his house or business premises which would be reading his/her electricity consumption. It is this meter that tells EEDC the accurate energy consumption of its customer. But alas! Does EEDC depend on meter readings to churn out its outrageous bills? The answer is an emphatic “NO”.
The management of the EEDC solely depends on their notorious estimate and crazy bills to milk their customers to stupor and the poor masses are the worst hit. How many hours per week, per month does EEDC provide its customers with light to justify their provocative bills and intimidation which had been the lot of their customers over the years? Any attempt to complain or protest against the almighty EEDC will land you in dire consequences including punitive higher bills and indefinite disconnection.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Sometime in the year 2015, I stopped paying my electricity bills in protest over the unreasonably high bills being sent to me for energy I did not consume. Consequently, as expected, EEDC disconnected my house. That was in December, 2015. I did not bother about it. Why should I bother myself about reconnection when I know that it meant wasting my scarce financial resource for epileptic power supply which adds no value to my living. My generator was serving me better. At that time, my total due stood at #66,222.88.
I had wrongly thought that since my house had been disconnected, it went with any fresh bills that could have been generated. But I was completely proved wrong by EEDC’s impunity and insensitivity that followed.
Actually, after my disconnection, EEDC stopped sending bills to me. But unknown to me, my bills kept accumulating in their system without any regard or consideration for the fact that my house had been disconnected. As a result of this, when my house was eventually reconnected in November, 2017 (two clear years after disconnection), the total due in the bill sent to me for November, 2017 was #149,743.21! That showed that my bills kept accumulating in their system unabated in spite of the fact that I had been disconnected. That’s why my total due jumped from #66, 222 .18 to #149, 743 . 21 by the time I was reconnected. That was a whopping sum of #83, 521 addition against a house while under disconnection!
I know that most customers will have similar experiences to recount but of what purposes would that serve in the Nigerian corrupt and oppressive system? Everybody seems to have resigned to fate. This is very unfortunate.
A CALL FOR JUSTICE AND EQUITY
When one critically considers the claim of EEDC that, in a rural community like Isuofia which has virtually no high profile industry, its customers are owing it a staggering sum of over #130million, one is tempted to conclude that EEDC is merely out to intimidate, exploit and continue to defraud the masses with impunity.
Admittedly, much goes into the generation and distribution of electricity in Nigeria. The Federal Government had managed it in the past through ECN, NEPA and PHCN and found it difficult to cope with due to corruption hence its decision to opt for full privatization which saw the emergence of the present day Electricity Distribution Companies. But this should not mean that electricity consumers should be abandoned at the mercy of the heartless Electricity Distribution Companies. The federal government should not be looking the other way while Nigerian citizens are subjected to the crushing effect of the selfishness, greed and avarice of the owners of Electricity Distribution Companies. Something must be done and quickly too, about the exploitation of the hapless Nigerian electricity consumers particularly about this subsisting outrageous claim of indebtedness by EEDC. Those bills were not matched with corresponding power consumption because meter readings were never taken into reckoning while the bills were being prepared. Why should the EEDC have the gut to fix those bills without any actual and honest use of meter readings to determine the appropriate bills for its customers? Surely, it is because they are certain that the regulatory agency will not do anything about it.
For justice and equity to prevail, I suggest that EEDC should be just and considerate enough by slashing the current outrageous claim of outstanding debts of its customers by 75%, that is, granting their customers the relief of paying just the remaining 25%. The EEDC should also henceforth adhere strictly to honest use of meter readings to determine bills and stop without further delay, the so called estimate and crazy bills. Once this is done, customers, on their own part, should also fulfill their own part of the responsibility by promptly paying their due bills. More importantly, EEDC should fast track the installation of prepaid meters for their numerous customers as is obtainable at other places.
Finally, let the federal government/regulatory agency come to the rescue of electricity consumers under the operational area of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC). Let action be taken urgently with the view to ensuring that justice and equity prevail. Enough is enough.
Chief Samuel Nwankwo wrote this piece from Isuofia in Aguata LGA of Anambra State.