Electricity Consumers in Akwa Ibom State have been advised to stop paying estimated bills imposed by Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution company until the issue is resolved.
This was one of the resolutions in a communiqué signed by Clifford Thomas, a lawyer and Coordinator, Human Rights Community and Comrade Ime Udoh, Chairman, Akwa Ibom Electricity Consumers Forum, respectively.
‘‘Electricity consumers in Akwa Ibom State are hereby advised not to pay for any unscrupulous bills imposed in the name of estimated bills by the PHED. Once an electricity consumer contests and challenges any Bill, the Rule is that he must not pay it, until issues surrounding the Bills are resolved,’’ they urged.
According to them, ‘‘Following the unbundling of National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) into the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), and the subsequent privatization where eleven power Distribution Companies (DisCos) were midwifed into existence, these new limited liability companies, have extremely exploited consumers, because they must make profits after off-setting their over-heads.
‘‘Experience with the Port Harcourt Distribution (PHED) company in the four states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers, have been very harrowing, traumatic and tragic.
‘‘In Akwa Ibom State, there have been incidences of over-billing, stealing of cables in the name of disconnection and carting away cables of consumers, disconnection without proper notices, unruly behaviours of marketers, no answers to complaints, non-supply of meters after payments made by consumers, and several other debilitating actions against consumers.’’
In addition, the consumers kicked against further increase in electricity tariff by Distribution Companies, DISCOS, as Nigerians would no longer afford further pressure on an already stifling economy.
They also disagreed with the notion that the Federal Government has been paying subsidy on electricity tariff in Nigeria, describing it as a scam.
A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting weekend in Uyo, called for the rights of electricity consumers to be respected while all consumers must be metered to with the state government guaranteeing them by putting modalities in place to pay for and recoup such investments as social and welfare services.
The consumers appealed to the state government to establish electricity-utilizing profit-making entities that would generate, transmit and distribute power in the most efficient and transparent manner with proper disconnection notices issued and served by the PHED before disconnecting consumers, who also now have the legal right to sue electricity companies
“Not the present situation where they hide what they claim to be notices under another subhead. The intention of such acts by the PHED is criminal, and must be opposed and resisted. The PHED must comply with NERC’s Connection and Disconnection procedures.
“Electricity consumers in Akwa Ibom State are hereby advised NOT TO PAY FOR ANY UNSCRUPULOUS BILLS IMPOSED IN THE NAME OF ESTIMATED BILLS BY THE PHED. Once an electricity consumer contests and challenges any Bill, the Rule is that he must not pay it, until issues surrounding the Bills are resolved
“The distribution companies can now sue and can be sued. The case of FRANCIS N. EKWERE AND PORT HARCOURT ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANY in Suit No. HU/203/2018 which was decided in the Uyo Judicial Division of the High Court of Akwa Ibom State before Hon. Justice Aniekan E. Akpan, readily comes in handy in how to Sue and Win electricity distribution companies in Nigeria. This matter has not been appealed, and so, serves as a judicial precedent.
“We disagree with the notion that there was, or is, SUBSIDY paid by the government on electricity tariff in Nigeria. The distribution companies are profit-making organizations whose major aims include making profits.
“How can the government claim that it was subsidising the profit-making objectives of profit-making companies, which are not even supplying commensurate energy to the people.
“We demand the Federal Government to explain in the most satisfactory manner to the people transparently, the dynamics of what it calls subsidy removal in the power sector, to warrant the proposed increase in electricity tariffs. If the FG cannot explain, we therefore conclude that ELECRICITY SUBSIDY is a scam,” they said.
They also demanded for the breakup of the FG monopoly over gas should be broken to enable states with gas reserves to harness it to power electricity, cars, domestic cooking, among others.
“This will stop the practice of gas wastage by flaring, which destroys the environment (human and natural), loss of islands in the State, rise in sea levels, shoreline recession, destruction of the Ozone Layer and other associated ills of gas flaring”
