Chisaa Okoye
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has been urged to wade into repeated illegal disconnections by the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, particularly in Okeira, Ogba area of Lagos State.
Some aggrieved customers, who were affected by this illegal disconnections have vowed to sue the company, as according to them, they have been thrown into darkness for four days with its attendant consequences, even when they have their prepaid meters in place over the years and are not owing the Disco.
These electricity consumers, particularly those within the Okeira, Ogba area told our correspondents on Friday that some field staff of the Distribution Company on Monday embarked on their usual massive disconnections, which affected customers that use prepaid metres.
These corrupt incompetent staff often collect bribes from customers who have accumulated bills because they were not metered, only to reconnect them soon after collecting bribes from them, whereas they illegally disconnect customers who use prepaid meter and are not owing.
It was gathered that despite series of complaints lodged at the Okeira office of the company, these customers have not been reconnected four days after as these field workers, insist on collecting bribes before they could discharge their duties.
Some customers in the area told our reporter that some time ago, they were compelled by the Disco to pay N100,000 each for prepaid meters, but till date, they have not supplied the meters to them as they company continued to bill the customers based on estimation.
Although the government has since outlawed estimated billings, the Ikeja Disco, which is very notorious for crazy billings, has continued in this illicit act even as it compels its customers to pay for prepaid meters as against the government directives to all distribution companies to provide free prepaid metres to customers.
“I came back from work on Tuesday only to discover I had not light. I was to discover in the morning that the Ikeja Discover embarked on massive disconnections that day. I promptly visited their office in Okeira in the morning and lodged the complaint and was assured they would come and reconnect me.
“I waited all day, they never showed up; the next morning, I repeated the visit to their office and was again assured they would come and fix the light. When in the afternoon of that Wednesday, they had not come, I was notified that some of their staff were working in a street nearby and I headed there and met them negotiating with some customers on how much they would pay for them to reconnect them because they were not metered.
“I approached them, pleading with them to come and reconnect me given that it was the.second day without light and I was not owing, they responded that they were not there for me.
“Of a truth, the failed to reconnect me, prompting me to visit their office a third time on Friday and again they never showed up and till today, I have no light”, lamented one of the aggrieved customers.
The customers has vowed to commence a legal action against the Disco, as according to her, it is the sure way to bring an end to this illegal disconnections, which have been on for years.