Tariff: Electricity consumers protest in Anambra
— February 23, 2016
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Electricity consumers from Odume Layout in Obosi yesterday stormed the office of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) at Ogidi in Anambra state to protest alleged continued issuance of estimated bill by officials of the company in the area.
The protesters brought business at the EEDC office in Ogidi to a halt, as they rejected estimated bills issued to them and demanded for prepaid meters before they would pay electricity bills.
The protesters, in their hundreds, marched from Obosi to Ogidi through the old Onitsha – Awka – Enugu Road, and displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Odume Lay out say no to estimated bill” “EEDC stop issuing us estimated bill”, “EEDC we need prepaid meters” “we won’t pay estimated bill any longer” among others.
Spokesperson of the group, Mr Chidi Nwankwo, stated that they had severally written letters to the EEDC office stating their position on the issue of estimated bill and to demand for immediate provision of prepaid meters, but nobody responded to the letters, adding that they have decided not to pay estimated bill again.
He said: “We have, as residents of Odume Layout, met and decided that none of us should pay estimated bill again because estimated bill is over bloated above the degree of power they supply us at the end of the month. In some cases, they give us N10,000 for a flat or a shop. We have written them on several occasions but they don’t care to attend to our letters, so we have taken a decision not to pay any dime for estimated bill, let them make prepaid meters available to us”
“We are ready for them and if they don’t provide prepaid meters and bring estimated bill, we won’t pay and we won’t allow them to disconnect our line” he warned.
Effort to get the officials of EEDC at Ogidi comment on the matter proved abortive as non of the officials in the office agreed to react to the allegation.
