Electricity customers in some parts of Lokoja have lamented the outrageous increase in the monthly electricity bills given to them by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company(AEDC).
This was contained in a protest letter distributed to journalists by Lokoja Traditional Wards Residents, on Friday,signed by its chairman,Alhaji Musa Nasidi
The forum, made up of Wards D, B, E, Sarkin Noma and other communities, said most residents couldn’t afford to pay the skyrocketed bill due monthly increased by AEDC,urged the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to intervene on the issues.
Nasidi said the hike in electricity bill has come at a time that the residents were facing hardship.
He said the distribution company increased tariff every month,despite efforts been made by a non governmental organization,Light Up Movement, adding that the increased in monthly by AEDC continued without renovating electricity infrastructures in the communities.
According to the chairman,a survey of the bills revealed that some of the increased, October bill which was distributed was increase between 50 to 90 percent or more.
A computer operator, Dan Sharif, who complained bitterly, argued that the October bill has increased since he was billed much higher than his previous bills.
Shariff lamented that the October bill they brought was very much and the power supply has not been stable.
“Look at the last bill they brought, it was N5,000 but now it is N7,000 !
“They used to increase the bill virtually every month by N1,000 at most but this one is even by more than 1,000 and they expect us to pay at this time when everything is dry,” he said.
Mr Nda Ibrahim a civil servant, who visibly expressed his anger at the development, lamented the spate of overbilling by AEDC stressing that this has continued unabating.
He lamented how his bill skyrocketed to over N6,000 within a space of two months from about N4,000.
“I don’t have new appliances to even say that is why my bill was increased. What am I using that warrants them to bring me N8,000? I have complained to them severally, they asked me to write a letter which I did but instead, the money keeps going high,” he said
Another resident within the community who simply gave his name as Alhaji Abubakar, disclosed that the bills were just distributed with high increase.
Efforts made by this reporter to hear from AEDC management proofed abortive,as all efforts made failed.
A Chairman of Light of movement,Commrade Zakari Illiyasu who spoke with THEANALYSTNG,said the management of AEDC have assured them that the new billing will reflect on November 2021 bill
Recall that on 29 October 2021,THEANALYSTNG, report the Leadership Of Light Up Movement Lokoja, passed a vote of no confidence on the AEDC in kogi state.
