By Michael Adesanya/Abeokuta
The Arepo and Isheri communities, located in Obafemi-Owode Local area of Ogun State, have written a petition against the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company over alleged exploitative and ridiculous estimated billing served on residents of the area.
The Arepo Central Community Development Association (ACCDA) and Isheri Estates Community Residents Association of Lagos and Ogun (ISECOM) representing the residents of Arepo and Isheri/OPIC, in the petition dated June 28, 2020 also alleged that the IKEDC management has refused to install metres in their various homes.
The over 80,000 residents, in the petition jointly signed by their executives – Kenny Adeyemo, Jide Oke, Abiola Abioye and Dr Afolabi Fasoranti – lamented that in these communities, large number of houses are not metered due to non challance of the electricity company.
His words: “In these communities, a lot of our members up till now are not metered by management of Ikeja Electric; such that residents receive payments based on a very exploitative and highly ridiculous Estimated Billing regime on a monthly basis despite epileptic service.
“However, since the commencement of these legal relationships with the two communities of Arepo and Isheri/OPIC, it has been one breach, agony, disappointment, unpleasant and unpalatable experience after the other, despite the fact that these communities have not breached any of the conditions as provided for in the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act of 2005”.
They said in the letter that the two communities have been inundated, bombarded and harassed with several text messages from Ikeja Electric Customer Care Center that the Akute feeder – which provides the communities with electricity – is always faulty with persistent plea that such fault would be rectified immediately.
“Despite several letters from us and even meetings held with you, the last being in February this year, your management has unfortunately neglected or failed outrightly to rectify or overhaul this faulty feeder in Akute”, the letter emphasised.
“The result of this breach is that, it takes days sometimes before faults are rectified, therefore putting all the people in these communities into perpetual darkness and untold, unwarranted and undeserved psychological trauma as a result of lack of electricity. This is apart from non-upgrading or replacement of obsolete transformers and other infrastructures in the communities which have been a source of regular concern.
“On account of this inadequacy by management of Ikeja Electric, the two communities have been put on perpetual ‘one day on, one day off’ supply arrangement, but quite pathetically, Ikeja Electricity has failed woefully to even meet up with this arrangement.
“On the specific day of supply to any of the communities, the customary excuse of Akute feeder trip-off is used as justification for breach. It is worse that at the slightest hint or drop of rainfall, what otherwise should be a blessing, automatically becomes a curse by the handlers Ikeja Electric. Its light off immediately, no thanks to Akute feeder!’
“The use of Akute feeder as an alibi is not only frustrating and ludicrous; it is seen as a ploy to coerce the two communities into joining your willing buyer-willing seller scheme, thereby imposing exploitative, outlandish electricity tarrifs on the two communities against our wish.
“For communities where almost half of the population are without meters, which are not readily made available, the management of IE in the most unconscionable manner provides electricity for barely 10 days in a month, but serve residents with ridiculous monthly estimated bills, a situation which is not only oppressive but unfair, insensitive and rapacious.
“However, the provision of the Nigerian Electricity Supply and Installation Standards Regulation of 2015 is concise and expressly clear on the duties imposed on Ikeja Electric management on distribution infrastructure.
“Chapter 5 of the regulation MANDATES that all distribution infrastructures including Akute feeder should guarantee operational performance within the anticipated life span of its installation, and when such infrastructure’s lifespan expires it must be replaced immediately.
“Furthermore, the chapter provides that such distribution feeder must take into cognizance community expansion and must also not be impeded by environmental issues such as flood, human factor, erosion etc.”
The petitioners, in the letter, said it is clear that Ikeja Electric is insensitive and in continuous breach of the rights of the two communities, by failing to put in place mechanisms and adequate infrastructures to uphold its own side of its obligations and continuous flouting of laid down regulations.
“The actions of Ikeja electric have put the two communities of Arepo and Isheri/OPIC in constant darkness, leading to psychological trauma and unquantifiable financial loss in the last one year.
“It is against this backdrop therefore that the Executive Committees of ACCDA and ISECOM representing the two communities of Arepo and Isheri/OPIC hereby received with shock and utmost consternation the proposed move by the management of Ikeja Electric to increase tarrif on electricity by 1st July 2000.
“Having failed repeatedly over the years and particularly in the last one year, to provide regular supply of power to the two communities, through repeated failure and breach of contractual obligations under the Nigerian Electricity Supply and Installation Standards Regulation of 2015, we therefore vehemently oppose this plan by your management to increase tarrif being paid by our communities. ”
The communities however, suggested a way out for the proposed increase in tariff to ameliorate the current epileptic supply of power and improvement of the relationship with the two communities.
The residents’ suggestions include: “urgent upgrade or overhaul of the obsolete and overloaded Akute Transmission Feeder, which has been the source of epileptic supply to the two communities over the years, provision of a booster station as promised by Ikeja Electric along the transmission line from Akute to Arepo, to improve supply to the two communities;
“The immediate metering or provision of Prepaid meters to all residents as mandated in a recent resolution by the National Assembly. We suggest a system that meters should be provided to customers free and if required to be paid for, such payment can be deducted periodically through bills;
“The replacement of all obsolete infrastructure, such as electricity lines, cables and transformers which have hindered regular and stable supply to communities over the years. Most of the transformers in the two communities were procured by the communities and they need replacement, and;
“The over hauling of the Ikeja Electric Customer Care Centre to improve the company’s customer service relationship with residents and guarantee a humane and effective feedback mechanism with customers.”
The petitioners said it was imperative for the management of Ikeja Electric to understand that client customer relationship is not a one-sided traffic but a symbiotic one, stressing that, ’therefore, to review tarriff or price on a product, customer satisfaction is equally a factor for consideration, but not just the bottom-line. We shall be open to further discussions with your management on these proposals”.