Non-provision of prepaid meter:
Ika Landlords/Landladies serve BEDC protest notice
–Urge BEDC to follow NERC guidelines on prepaid meter or leave Ika Land
The apex pressure group in Ika Land known as, Ika Landlords/Landladies Association, has served Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC a letter of protest notice. The protest letter was handed over to the BEDC Manager, Agbor Business Unit, Engr Amos Akinlabi Bamgboye by the President, Ika Landlords/ Landladies Association, Mr. Vincent Arimokwu who was accompanied in the visit to the BEDC Agbor office with members of his association and other stakeholders, on Tuesday, November 24.
The letter which has the caption “Notice of protest against installation of prepaid meters meant for individual houses on your transformers” reads
“We, the members of Ika Landlords/Landladies Association and the entire residents of Ika Land in Delta State have observed and noticed that your company, the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has started the installation of prepaid meters meant for individual houses on transformers, which is against the guidelines stipulated by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for the issuance of prepaid meters to your customers.
We have held series of meetings with the Agbor Business Manager, the Chief State Head of BEDC and the entire management of BEDC where the management has repeatedly promised to provide us with the approved prepaid meters and install them in the customers’ houses/premises. But to our greatest disappointment, BEDC has started installing prepaid meters on their transformers instead of installing them in their customers’ houses.
In one of the meetings we held with the BEDC management in Agbor on the 9th June, 2020, we resolved and made it clear that all prepaid meters must be installed in individual’s houses and not on your transformers as none of us is residing in your transformers.
Therefore, our prepaid meters cannot be installed on transformers.
“We also resolved that there will be no pre-conditions for the issuance of prepaid meters to your customers in Ika land. And that BEDC should follow the guidelines stipulated by NERC for the issuance of prepaid meters to customers.
One. We have critically examined this action of BEDC and see it as sabotage to the provision and installation of the longtime approved prepaid meters to her customers in Ika land.
“Two. It is another way of officially legalizing estimated billing in Ika land.
Three. It is also another way of putting all Ika residents under community billing system as against the usual urban, individual billing.
“Four. It is another method BEDC has introduced to exploit Ika residents financially.
You may recall that Ika Landlords/Landladies Association carried out a peaceful protest four (4) years ago, against non-provision of the approved prepaid meters among others in Ika land.
Unfortunately, up till date, BEDC has not been able to provide the said prepaid meters to any of the other and using delay tactics to make sure you do not issue the approved prepaid meters.
“At a time we felt that you were tired of providing services to Ika Nation, hence, we gave you an option of a Quit Notice in our letter to you Ref. ILLA/53 dated 19th August, 2019 titled: NOTICE TO
QUIT AND WITHDRAW YOUR SERVICES FROM IKA LAND ON OR BEFORE 30th SEPTEMBER, 2019.
But because of the intervention of some of our Royal Fathers, we did not follow up our Quit Notice.
“Consequent upon the above pathetic and unfortunate situation, we, Ika people has found ourselves as customers to BEDC and to prevent our youths from taking laws into their hands, we have resolved to go on a peaceful protest against your deliberate refusal to provide the approved prepaid meters to your customers in Ika land. And this letter serves as Notice to you and your management, please.”
Meanwhile, the Business Manager of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Agbor Business Unit, Engr. Bamgboje Akinlabi Amos, in an interview has urged members of the public not to allow anyone to stir them unnecessarily into participating in any protest against the establishment.
The BEDC Business Manager, gave the charge while reacting to the notice of protest on the installation of Prepaid meters on transformers instead of individual houses, as alleged by the members of the Ika Landlords and Landladies Association during their visit to his office on Tuesday, November 24, 2020.
His words, “Actually, members of the Ika Landlords and Landladies Association came yesterday (Tuesday, November 24, 2020), to tell me about their intention; but first, I had told them that those meters that were installed are Check Meters, they are not meant for billing. Before the meter was brought to Agbor, I discussed with Mr. Vincent Arimokwu, the President of the Association with some members of his team when they visited my office, I told him that a meter is coming to Agbor, and would be installed as it was installed in Asaba; explaining that we call them Check Meters when they are installed on transformers; we also believe that any transformer that have them, have been approved for individual metering. All these I discussed with him. I felt bad yesterday, when he led his team here; instead of disseminating proper information to them, he led his team here telling us that they want to protest on that; when I had told him earlier that the meters are not meant for billing. They are only meant for Check Meters, so that individual persons can be metered on any transformer that such meters have been installed, I took time to explain all these to him, the last time he came to my office.. Digital Meters and Check Meters, are what were installed on the transformers and not Prepaid Meters. The meters are quite different from Prepaid Meters.
In March, 2020, or there about, I attended the meeting of the Ika Landlords and Landladies Association, where I told them that MAP was on going as at then and that if we are able to get to a particular level of MAPPING, we are going to commence the installation of the Prepaid Meters; before the advent of the dreaded coronavirus pandemic which prompted the general lockdown. However, immediately after the lockdown, we continued with the process. Presently, as at yesterday (Tuesday, November 24, 2020), over 40 persons had paid for their individual Prepaid Meters, while many are still going through the processes of the Prepaid Meters. The 40 persons are those who are White Meters have been installed in their transformers. Currently, we have over 60 transformers with those meters that are ready for individual prepaid metering.
Mr. Vincent Arimokwu presenting a letter of notice of protest to Engr Amos Akinlabi Bamgboye
