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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Landlords and residents of Okpoko, in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State have called on the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to address the challenges of ‘crazy’ and overestimated energy bills to consumers in their area or withdraw its services henceforth. The residents who bemoaned their plight during a gathering yesterday in Onitsha decried what they described as “oppressive, outrageous and over-estimated” bills, ranging from N20, 000 to N40, 000 per house every month. They also accused the EEDC of extortion and fraudulently sending as much as four bills to a flat on a monthly basis.
The Chairman of the Concerned Landlords Association, Electricity Committee, Chief Christian Achionye, who spoke on behalf of the residents regarding the alleged dubious activities and extortion of EEDC in Ogbaru and adjoining communities, warned people’s houses at odd hours in the name of carrying out any services that are not in conformity with NERC regulations. He said the EEDC was planning to use security operatives to force the people to pay the outrageous bills or disconnect their electricity supply.
The Secretary-General of Ogboko community, Mr Raphael Agu, said the move by the residents to address the issue of over-estimated, outrageous, and oppressive bills stemmed from their long period of suffering in silence over the exploitation by EEDC.
Secretary of the Concerned Landlords and Residents, Obumneme Ohiagu lamented that previous efforts made in the past to find an amicable settlement over the issue with EEDC failed as the company has continued to bill them in total disregard to the regulations and guidelines stated by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
When contacted, EEDC Head of Public Communication, Emeka Ezeh advised the Okpoko consumers to channel their complaints through the appropriate Customer Care channels. He said there was nothing like crazy bills in the manual of the EEDC and called on the consumers to apply for prepaid meters and follow its due process of installations.
