Lawyer drags EEDC to court for suspending use of stand-alone prepaid meters in Enugu

An Enugu-based lawyer, Mr Chukwunonso Ogbe has dragged Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to an Enugu High Court for suspending use of stand-alone prepaid meters by consumers in the state.
Ogbe disclosed this on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.
He said that the suit was instituted pursuant to the provisions of Sect. 34 (1) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act, CAP.A9.
The lawyer also relied on Article 25, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
Joined in the suit as second respondent is the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) while Mr Okey Ogbodo and Mr Oguejiofor Nsude are the third and fourth respondents respectively.
Ogbodo and Nsude would be appearing for themselves and as representatives of Amechi Uwani Community Development Union in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state.
Ogbe prayed the court to declare as violation of the rights of the electricity consumers in Enugu, the act of discontinuing the use of the stand-alone prepaid meters.
He said that such action had subjected the electricity consumers to exploitation, inhuman and degrading treatment as against the provisions of Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
Ogbe said that the suit also prayed the court to award N100 million compensation jointly and severally against the first and second respondents, payable to the third and fourth respondents.
He said that the compensation would be for the benefit of the residents of Amechi Uwani Awkunanaw Community in Enugu South Local Government Area subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment through electricity rationing.
He said that the action of the first respondent in rationing power supply in Amechi Uwani, Awkunanaw to a period of six hours daily was a rights violation.
“We are seeking for an order restraining EEDC, her agents, privies from discontinuing the use of analogue meter and or standalone prepaid meters in determining consumer’s bills,” he said.
Ogbe said that the order would affect consumers whose electricity bills were determined by the reading of such analogue and or standalone prepaid meters prior to Dec. 31, 2019.
He also prayed the court to direct or mandate EEDC to continue vending credit for the use of the standalone prepaid meters.
“This is for the benefit of energy consumers in the state whose bill for energy consumed were determined by the reading of the standalone prepaid meters earlier installed for such consumers.
“We are also seeking for an order directing the EEDC to reinstall any standalone prepaid meter and or analogue meter of consumers which the first respondent may have uninstalled,” he said.
He requested the court to restrain the EEDC from compelling consumers whose bills are determined by standalone prepaid meters and or analogue meters from being charged based on estimated or post billing basis.
Ogbe urged the court to direct the EEDC to discontinue the policy of rationing the electric energy supply to residents of Amechi Uwani Community.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the case with suit no. E/1/2020 is before Justice Azubuike Onovo and will come up for mention on Jan. 16, 2020. (NAN)