Guardian

ELECTRICITY Consumers under the aegis of Coalition of Residents and Business Associations of Nigeria have bemoaned the outrageous billings imposed on consumers under the new Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO2) introduced by the Federal Government last year.

The Chairman of the group, Abayomi Dawodu, in a chart with The Guardian on Monday alleged that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was extorting consumers through the new tariff order, which he said they were not complying with.

According to him, the electricity firms were charging outside the MYTO2, thereby forcing consumers to pay in excess of power supplied. Other consumers, who spoke to The Guardian in Isolo, Ikotun Lagos, and some parts of Ogun State, protested lack of prepaid meters that could serve as accurate measurement for power consumed.

They urged the authorities of the utility company and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to massively roll out the new meters free as promised by Federal Government at the introduction of MYTO2. Besides, Dawodu alleged that PHCN had decided to hoard the prepaid meters, in other to suit their ulterior motive.

The NERC had last year ordered the 11 PHCN distribution companies to ensure full installation of prepaid meters to their various network within a period of 18 months, beginning from July 2012.

In a perceived response to this directive, some of the distribution companies Lagos claimed they have increased the number of meters to be installed monthly in other to meet the target.

The consumers, therefore, advocated a strict punishment for any erring PHCN firm, urging the power sector watchdog (NERC) to exercise its powers with fairness, to them from the wrath of malpractices.

Dawodu said, if urgent measures are not taken to curtail these excesses, the group would embark on a massive rally to crash the income of the utility companies.

He said, “we will not accept cheating, and we will never pay estimated billings. God has put standard measurement on everything He created, even the market women use measurement to sell their goods, why did PHCN desist from accurate measurement of power? You can imagine, if I earn a minimum wage of N18,000 and PHCN charged me N15,000 for electricity, how will I survive?  Rather, how will I rent shop at the rate of N3,000 per month, or rent an accommodation for N5,000 and PHCN is asking me to pay 20,000 per month. It a glaring cheating and we will not accept it,” he said.