By Ihechinyere Chigemeri-Uwom
A cross-section of electricity consumers in Umuahia, on Tuesday, took to the streets to protest against the “outrageous, unbearable and unjustified” bills charged by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).
The protesters, under the aegis of Concerned Umuahia Residents, marched from EEDC Umuahia Office on Bende Road to the Government House, on Akanu Ibiam Road.
They carried placards with different inscriptions, such as “We cannot pay N50,000 bill”, “Return electricity bill back to status quo”, “Electricity bill now equal to minimum wage”, among others.
The leader of the group, Mr Chukwuemeka Ozugbo, said that they were peacefully expressing their frustration over the recent sharp increase in tariff in the city.
Ozugbo said that most households, which previously paid about N10,000 monthly, recently received between N50,000 and N70,000 without corresponding improvement in power supply.
He described the sudden rise as “outrageous, unbearable and unjustified”, saying that most residents were civil servants, who live on N70,000 minimum wage.
He questioned the rationale behind billing someone, who earns N70,000 monthly as much as N50,000 for electricity.
Ozugbo described the EEDC action as unfair, saying that it violated natural justice and equity.
He demanded that the company should revert to the previous billing rate of about ₦10,000 per household.
A civil servant, Mr Nnamdi Okenwa, also lamented the sharp increase of the unit cost of energy on prepaid metering.
Okenwa said that he previously paid N3,000 monthly but now billed between N15,000 and N17,000, in spite limited usage of electricity in his house.
He complained that EEDC often supplied power briefly, particularly when it planned to embark on disconnection, and usually returned to load shedding after collecting payments from consumers.
The Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Mr Ikechukwu Monday, who received the protesters at the Government House main gate, assured them that their grievances would be officially addressed and resolved through peaceful and structured engagement.
Monday commended them for their peaceful conduct, while expressing their demand for fair billing.
He pointed out that the sharp tariff hike in Umuahia from ₦53 to ₦200 per kilowatt-hour was occasioned by the upgrade of the feeder to Band A by the EEDC.
He advised affected residents to put up an official complaint letter for proper documentation.
Monday said that formal communication would enable the State Government to address the matter more effectively and transparently.
He emphasised that the present administration had made significant progress in improving power supply across communities, in spite of the existing infrastructural limitations.
He reiterated the administration’s commitment to achieving complete metering across Abia.
He affirmed that the government would engage the EEDC and relevant agencies to understand the tariff issue thoroughly, promising a peaceful and transparent resolution for affected residents.
He said that the state’s Electricity Law was signed in March, establishing the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority to oversee electricity matters locally.
Monday further said that electricity regulation in Abia still remained under the National Electricity Regulatory Commission.
According to him, full control of electricity regulation by Abia’s regulatory authority would be transferred to the state by December, enhancing local accountability and efficiency for consumers.
He further disclosed that over 60,000 electricity meters had been deployed across Abia, a move aimed at ensuring accurate billing and efficient energy management for all electricity consumers.
In an interview with newsmen, the Head of Commercial, EEDC Abia, Mr Festus Iwuala, explained that the tariff increment resulted from the reclassification of the affected feeder to Band A by the NERC.
Iwuala said that the feeder had previously been categorised under Bands C and B, but as of Sept. 1, was approved for Band A billing, reflecting higher electricity supply standards.
He said the adjustments were only applicable when errors occurred and that the recent change was based on national regulatory approval, not arbitrarily by the distribution company.
He urged customers to understand the structure of the electricity tariff, saying that distribution companies operate strictly within approved policies
Iwuala said that they could not independently increase tariffs without necessary regulatory authorisation.
