by Muhammad Ahmad
Some electricity consumers in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, have threatened to stop further payment of electricity bills to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC.
The customers accused the electricity company of charging them high tariffs without providing adequate electricity.
Some of the consumers who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES lamented the increase in tariff in the past three months without corresponding increase in power supply.
They alleged that the AEDC refused to provide digital electricity meters that would allow consumers to only pay for electricity used and that the electricity company preferred the current situation of arbitrary monthly bills.
One of the residents, Ibrahim Mohammed, who resides in Tudun Gwandara said, “We hardly have three hours light but they bring bills every month with 20 per cent increase every month since January”.
Also, Grace Amirkpa of Makurdi road, Lafia, said she has written to the AEDC to stop further supply of electricity to her residence because she cannot afford the payment of the bills which increased from N2000 to N7000.
A civil servant, Helen Sule, said she was not comfortable with the increase in electricity tariff, as power supply had not been commensurate with the bills paid by consumers.
Ms. Sule explained that the power situation had deteriorated despite the privatisation of the sector.
Already, PREMIUM TIMES found that some residents have cut off their electricity supply from the AEDC and devised new means of power supply by contributing money to buy generators and fuel for the generators.
Efforts to reach Ahmed Shekarau, the spokesperson of the AEDC, were unsuccessful as calls made to his phone were not answered or returned.
The electricity company, which supplies power to Abuja and neighbouring states like Nasarawa, Niger, and Kogi, had earlier said it was not to blame for the worsening electricity supply as it could only provide the electricity supplied to it by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.
