FCCPC: Consumers Decry Outrageous Electricity Billing

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city

Power consumers of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) have frowned at what they described as outrageous billing and high tariff subjected to by the company without reasonable power supply.

The consumers, who were present at a four-day programme tagged: ‘Consumer Complaint Resolution Platform’, organised by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and support from MacArthur Foundation in Benin-city, Edo State, lamented that they have been subjected to paying for what they never consumed as electricity.

Giving his complaints at the event, counsel to Hotel Proprietors of Nigeria, Edo State chapter, Mr. Peter Askhaimo, on behalf of his clients, said he had this year written over 40 letters to the management of BEDC, but no response.

He added that he invited the Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) to carry out routine check on facilities in his clients’ premises after which BEDC was directed to supply NEMSA-sealed meters to his clients, lamenting that till now, nothing has been done.

He said: “I invited NEMSA, which came in official capacity to carry out routine check on the facilities and the functioning capacity in all the premises of my clients. The outcome of that investigation was that BEDC should within a time frame supply NEMSA-sealed meters to my clients, but up till this moment, BEDC is adamant and still threatening my clients with over billing.

“The first question is, what is responsible for this over billing and high tariff from N900, 000 to roughly N4 million in a month?

“A situation whereby a hotel paid up to N5 million monthly is unhealthy.”

Another consumer, Kingsley Esiojie, said: “The way BEDC gives bill without electricity is worrisome. They only supply electricity the period they want to share their bill, and after sharing and payment, there won’t be power anymore.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, FCCPC, Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, said the event was organised to interface BEDC with its customers with a view to resolving complaints brought to the forum.

He ordered that “cases brought here must be treated and completely resolved. We also want timeline to be adhered to strictly, and any disregard to this directive will be viewed seriously by the FCCPC as insubordination.”

While responding, Chief Head of BEDC (Edo), Mr. Abel Enechaziam, said the distribution company is doing all within its power to resolve all complaints before it, adding that out of the over 459,000 complaints the company received this year, over 455,000 have been treated.

He urged customers to channel their complaints to the appropriate channel rather than depending on ‘a friend who works there’.