By Praise Chinecherem
Residents of Ozalla Obasi community in Idemili North Local Government Area Anambra State have raised the alarm over what they described as outrageous and irritative estimate electricity billing by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, (EEDC).
They also protested harassment and intimidation with the Police, of their members by EEDC officials in Enugu and Onitsha contrary to Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) order and the Onitsha High Court judgement with Suit No. HID/279/2917.
The court had ordered that EEDC, should not bring electricity bills, disconnect their light, intimidate or harass them until they provided them with Prepaid Meters.
The protesters, led by the executive of Ozalla Obasi Community Welfare Association, alleged that the intention of the Chairman of EEDC, Sir Emeka Offor, to ensure regular and affordable electricity supply to the people of the zone was deliberately being frustrated by refusal of his staff to provide Prepaid Meters for consumers.
They further alleged that large chunk of estimated electricity bills being collected from them were being diverted into pockets of officials, calling on Offor to investigate their complains and order for immediate release of Prepaid Meters to them and other electricity consumers in the zone to avoid losses being incurred by the company.
Chairman of Ozalla Obasi Community Welfare Association, Mr. Chukwudi Mbanuzue, in company of his Secretary Mr. Ebele Okolo and other members of the community, said their disagreement with EEDC, dates back to 2016.
According to Mbanuzue, “Between in 2016 we were not getting regular power supply up to five times in a month, but we were paying outrageous and irritative monthly electricity bills and when the complaints became so much, we agreed in a meeting to write to Ogidi District of EEDC and later took our complain and even protested to EEDC Enugu, but nothing came out of the moves.
“We decided to take our complain to NERC Abuja, and NERC told us what to do to serve them our protest letter, which we served them December 2016. However, on January 7, 2017 they called us for a meeting with EEDC and at the meeting, they directed EEDC to provide Prepaid Meters, immediately to us or never to collect bills or disconnect our light, but EEDC requested to be given end of March to provide the Prepaid Meters, but later failed, and continued harassing and collecting bills ranging from N20,000 to N50,000 per flat.
“We could not contain the intimidation harassment and outrageous irritating billing, and we decided to report back to NERC in August 2017 and they told us to drag them to Court because they don’t discuss a case two times.
“We immediately started the court process and on February 12, 2018, our first court matter against EEDC started and went on until July 9, 2018, when we got Judgement by Hon. Justice E.S Nri-Ezedi, who told EEDC to do what NERC earlier ordered it to do, which was to provide Prepaid Meters for us or never to disturb us with bills or disconnection of our electricity supply.
“However EEDC started intermittent provision of the Prepaid Meters and later stopped and resumed estimated billing of our people, and this time anybody who opposed them was arrested with Police and Vigilante operative and beaten up mercilessly.
“They were invading residences of members opposed to them between 3.30 to 4:00 am and taking them to Awada Police station or State CID Awka.
“As I speak with you now we are being invited to Awka by one Sargent from State CID Awka, who identified him as Effiong, claiming that he wants to settle for us and EEDC, and we keep wondering what concerns the police with electricity matter disagreement with EEDC.
“NERC gave EEDC directive it failed to carry out, and the court looked at the merit of our complain that we have been paying EEDC more than we are required to pay them before we approached the court and directed them to obey the instruction of NERC, to provide Prepaid Meters in our community or stop collecting electricity bills orbdisconnecting us, yet they keep arresting and intimidating us with security agents.
“We decided to run to the media for the world to hear what we have been going through in the hands of EEDC since 2016. Even when the Court and NERC told us not to paid anything until they provide meters for us, a Priest intervened between us and them and pleaded that we start paying them N2000 to N5000 we agreed, but they shortly started abusing the agreement and were collecting between N20,000 to N50,000 per flat and that started another disagreement and refused to pay them, and they started their fresh arresting of our members.
“We did not say that we will not pay for light consumed, but we are saying that we will not pay their estimated bills anymore. Some us us including Elizabeth Okafor, have monthly electricity bill of N100, 243, per flat. Ifeoma Esther and Ebuka’s flat are having N64,309, Chineze Dimejesi bill for energy use in October 2023 is N345,914, Obunadike Charles, electricity bill for August 2022 was N106,954, while his May 2023 bill is N71,445. Elizabeth Okafor’s recent bill for this 2023 is N111,398, where in Nigeria is anybody paying such bill in a flat. That is what we are protesting against.”
