Residents of Maiduguri, Borno
state capital, have complained about the 24-hour electricity supply provided by
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC).
Speaking to NAN on Tuesday, they
described the 24-hour supply as a waste, saying it has caused “outrageous
billings”.
Ibrahim Suleiman, a resident at
who lives in Bolori Layout, appealed to the YEDC to reduce the supply of
electricity.
“YEDC should go back to the
former supply system where electricity was supplied for 12 hours and not 24
hours recently being enjoyed,” he said.
“I work from 7pm to 4pm. So I do
not need any electricity until I get home. But in this case, whether you
consume power or not, you will be billed to pay for it. I think this is not
fair.”
Residents told NAN that the
incurring high bills were not in the interest of the masses, because it has
hindered economic activities and social life of the people.
They also alleged that YEDC jacked
up their electricity bills by over 100 percent for commercial and residential
areas sequel to an appreciable improvement in power supply in the metropolis.
Esther Chukwuma, one of the
consumers, described the new billing adopted by the power distribution
companies as frustrating and lamentable.
“My bill indicated that I used
605 units in November and they charged N14, 000 as against N6, 500 for
September where I used the same units,” she said.
“They are charging me for what I
did not consume because, during the day, I spend most of my time in my shop. I
only use the electricity at night at home.
“I have a prepaid meter in the
shop and I don’t spend more than N2, 000 in a whole month. So how come I am not
staying at home and I am being asked to pay N14, 000.
“I am here in their office,
demanding an explanation.”
Responding, Usman Wakta, the YEDC
Maiduguri business manager, said the company does not bill its customers
arbitrarily.
He said before the commissioning
of the new 330kV transmission line, the stations relied on the 132KV controlled
from Biu, which can only supply for a period of ten to twelve hours per day.
“On the average, we now supply
electricity in the town for a minimum of 22 hours in a day which simply implies
that the consumption of energy by residents in the state have multiplied or
even tripled itself,” he explained.
“We took a simple study from our
prepaid metres users and we found out that the people that usually came to buy
units of N2000 or N3000 in a month now have to spend N15, 000 or N20, 000
because of their energy usage.
“One thing we notice about the
consumers is that they waste energy. People have this habit of leaving their
lights on even in the afternoon.
“Go to some supermarkets or
filling stations, you will see more than 200 bulbs on in the afternoon. So the
more you load you use the more energy you consume.”
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