Ika residents have joined the train of Nigerians in their out cry against the recent announcement by the management of the electricity distribution company on the new rate of electricity tariff to be paid by power consumers across the country.
Here are the views of some respondents who bared their minds on the issue during a survey within Boji Boji Metropolis on Tuesday, September 15, 2020.
Mr. Cletus Okwuokenye, A Businessman said “Talking about Electricity as a subject matter is a worrisome situation, worrisome in the sense that we are having some reactions instead of our political elites, leaders and even religious leaders to come up and rebuke what is wrong, they are casting blames on who is the cause and who is not the cause; it has never been a way to solve Nigeria’s problems because my children who are now Four years will grow up in the next Thirty Five years and still hear this same story if there is nothing done to the power sector. It has continuously been announced over the radio and television stations that the power generated has increased to Six hours per day. Now if it is Six hours where were these people before now? What happened to the light before now? And what are they trying to tell us? If they talk about increment in the tariff how do we assess what we consume? How do we know? Because prior to 2015, we have been hearing about Prepaid Meters, everyone is fighting the federal, state and local governments nobody want to hit the nail on the head.
The power generating company should tell Nigerian populace the truth about power consumption, if they refuses the God of heaven will hold them responsible for keeping Nigerians into perpetual hardship, bringing down our economy that even pure water company cannot run successfully because of power failure and poor supply, it is unfortunate and a sad situation; everyone is crying and my heart bleeds so profusely over the situation of this Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), may I ask a question; how devilish are they to have kept the masses in perpetual darkness? And how do they now generate the Megawatts that they are now supplying? Where was the power before now? They should remember that life is a revolving circle and whatever you do will revolve back; for when you are doing a certain thing because you want to punish a person, certainly it will return back to you. I am not happy about the situation, BEDC should give us Prepaid meters to enable us read and calculate what we consume, we remove our card when necessary and use it when necessary. Presently they are taking us for a ride by telling us they have a high and low tariff because power supply has never been stable; No statistics, No data, No calculation to write out, I don’t know what I consumed so anything they bring to me is what I pay for; there is God in everything we do, until we fear God and do the needful nothing is going to go well”.
Mr. Benjamin Igboanugo, A Carton Manufacturer said “The Benin Electricity Distribution Company would have shown us the Six hours regular power supply to be fully operational before allowing the tariff increase to commence. If you want to get the masses, the masses will see your services first before they will apply. Now if they say they have increased supply to Six hours may be it’s in a place like Asaba or in government reservation areas, unlike some areas especially where I am staying at Agbor-Obi, I have not seen Six hours electricity supply and I know that my neighbours around the area have not seen any Six hours light; so to comply with it will be difficult they will be met with some reactions from the masses.
Imagine increasing electricity tariff when the masses are battling with severe hardship caused by the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown that is too ridiculous; has government given the promised palliatives to the masses to cushion the acute suffering in the land? Have the businessmen been given any palliative? Yet, they are talking about increase in electricity tariff and have already implemented the increase in pump price of fuel, for the dying masses who is faced with several challenges.
Personally, if they increase the tariff and their is constant power supply there is no problem, but I don’t see it happening because we have not seen a complete One hour supply to talk of Six hours; based on the tariff increase where we used to pay #1,200 per month before in a two bedroom apartment, we are now paying #9,000 electricity bill per month, this are residential places not industrial areas; in fact all this things are confusing me, I am aware that when these companies were put in place the authorities then informed the management that they were going to experience some losses and they know that those losses will be there and from what I read in the Newspaper they stated that the losses was about 45% but now they are loosing about 60%; I know that these things are aching the the Electricity Distribution Companies but it is not enough for them to say that the masses who are made to pay for these things should be in hot soup and be removed from the hot soup and placed into the burning fire; what I am saying in effect is that the three tiers of government and the management of BEDC should remember that the masses does not go to steal to pay all this bill; we need good life but we don’t need good life that will push us to become thieves”.
Mr. Ejime Roland Moseri, A Businessman said “Talking about BEDC, Power supply has never been constant in this country, it’s very unfortunate that the poor masses are suffering it; because I have been privileged to have traveled to Europe and some West African countries, like Ghana where I stayed for two weeks, there was never a power outage; talking of increasing electricity tariff is not the issue, what the authorities should be concerned with for now should be on how to improve the power sector in making more effective in achieving customers satisfaction. Although the power sector knows what they supposed to do in enhancing the stability of supply. Talking about the BEDC operations, they are deceiving the masses; with reference to what an official of the electricity distribution company confided in me, he told me that the observed challenges cannot be solved because that is where they eat from and that is from where their employers make money; disclosing that if they should give the masses Prepaid Meters they will not eat again because it is when they disconnect indebted customers that they will get money. The federal government knows all this, if they want to stop the problems of estimated bills, they can do it today. Having Prepaid Meters is very nice they should go from house to house to give it to the masses; even if they ask me to pay more than #50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) to have it, I will pay so that I can have it; knowing that if I am going out I will switch off my meter and when I come back I will on the meter, by so doing I will be regulating it myself and it is what I consume that I will pay.
The government knows what to do, they have the power, authority and the capabilities but they are just relenting because that is where some of them and their cronies are eating from.
If the government agrees to do the needful the issuance of Prepaid Meters will get to everyone but if the government and the management of BEDC do not agree together getting it will be a mirage; then we will continue to suffer the problem until maybe when a radical leader or President will come and stop the electricity problems which Nigerians are facing, just like the way former President Olusegun Obasanjo, stopped the problems in the Nigeria Telecommunication (NITEL).
I am of the opinion that the tariff increase is not the problem, the problem is the relevant authorities not making Prepaid Meters available for the Nigerian masses. For when it is issued out to everyone, the individual can personally regulate and control the usage of the electricity in their various compounds.
Haven said that I want the government to look into the issue of people using generator because of the several health hazards caused by the generator fumes which has killed so many persons; I learnt from the Newspapers that a family of 5 died due to the fumes from the generator; if there had been regular power supply I don’t think these people would have died. So, I am begging the authority concern to look into the issue of providing Prepaid Meters to the masses irrespective of what it may cost the federal government because they have the resources and all it takes to make it available to the populace”.
Mr. Umeh Chuks, A Businessman said “The issue is that if we have constant supply of electricity there will be no problem with the payment of bill. Again, the issue of the masses having Prepaid Meters is very important too; every house should be metered so that what a person consume is what he pays for, not giving people estimated bills; such practice is not ideal.
My advice is that the federal government should make the electricity distribution companies to provide the masses with Prepaid Meters, so that if they have the meters they will be able to know and pay for what they used and also make sure that there is electricity supply, because the consumers will make more money from their businesses and pay their bills if there is light, but when there is no light people will not pay.
Rather than giving their customers estimated bills which they are reluctant to pay because of epileptic power supply and the failure of BEDC officials coming to read their meters instead they just stay in their office and write bill; it’s not proper especially during this COVID-19 period, it’s not the right time for such tariff increase because the masses are not finding things easy; business is not moving even we heard that the salaries of most civil servants have been reduced; yet BEDC is increasing electricity tariff.
The big question is; How will the masses cope with all these challenges? The various tiers of Government should be more proactive and do something reasonable by putting in place adequate measures to cushion the harsh effects of the hardship which the Nigerian masses are currently experiencing”.
Mr. Emeka Agubuike, A Businessman said “I believe this people want to cause more harm to the Nation, because looking at it critically, we are just coming out from the lockdown occasioned by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine the federal government increasing the pump price of fuel and BEDC increasing electricity tariff charges, I don’t know how they want us to survive in this country; the development is most unfortunate.
Personally I am of the view that if BEDC want to increase electricity tariff they should make sure that they have stable electricity supply and again they should provide Prepaid Meters for all electricity consumers; Not Estimated bills, you will not see any light for two to three days or more, yet they will give you an outrageous bill to pay; such act is highly exploitative and very bad”.
