S/E electricity consumers condemn FG’s 300% increase in tariff, demand installation of prepaid meters to households
Chigozie Amadi
In her bid to Interface between NERC Discos and consumers, South-East Electricity Consumers Association(SEECA) has condemned in strong terms the 300% increase in tariff announced by the Federal government, and urged that prepaid meters be installed to every household and businesses before the implementation..
The Chairman and secretary of the Association Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha and Mr Ogubuike Ibeagi respectively made this known in a statement issued as part of their resolution at the meeting held in all the five Southeast states of Nigeria
It disclosed that henceforth no consumer of electricity under the DisCo EEDC should pay for prepaid meter/s. adding that Meter/s is the property of EEDC and by law must be issued free to consumers.
The statement also said that the association resolved that no individual/s or community/s should buy or provide transformers for their electricity consumption and that if it becomes unavoidable, the transformer procurnent should be done after negotiations and MOUs with the EEDC or Geometrics.
It stated that the cost of the transformer/s should be imputed in the energy usage of the consumers involved by the DisCo and must give at least two weeks notice after delivery of bills on consumption as estimated if not contested, before cutting of lights.
Also as part of the resolution, the association demands that estimated bills be stoped and prepaid meters issued to all consumers or else, consumers lights must not be cut.
It maintained that SEECA has come to stand in the gap between the NERC, DisCo EEDC and Consumers, assuring that it will act in good faith to strengthen the operations of the EEDC to deliver their contractual responsibility.
“No consumer of electricity under the DisCo EEDC should pay for prepaid meter/s. Meter/s is the property of EEDC and therefore by law must be issued free to consumers.
“No individual/s or community/s should buy or provide transformers for their electricity consumption. If that is very unavoidable, the transformer procurnent should be done after negotiations and MOUs with the EEDC or Geometrics.
“In that case if feasible, the cost of the transformer/s should be imputed in the energy usage of the consumers involved by the DisCo
Must give at least two weeks notice after delivery of bills on consumption as estimated if not contested, before cutting of lights.
“Demand that estimated bills be stoped and prepaid meters issued to all consumers or else, consumers lights must not be cut.
“Frowned and condemned the 300% increase in tariff announced by the Federal government, and strongly request that prepaid meters be .installed to every household and businesses before the implementation.
