CHUKWUEBUKA OHIZU
The Aba Electricity Consumers Forum (AECF) has rejected the recent increase in electricity tariff, stressing that the bills are not in tandem with power supply, as they are literally paying for darkness.
The Forum, after a meeting that brought together industrialists, landlords, and other stakeholders in the city, urged the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to review the new tariff, which it said will lead to the collapse of many SMEs in Aba.
At the meeting, the Forum said that after a diligent study of the new electricity tariff increase which has taken effect from January 2025, consumption vis-à-vis February 2025 bill, it would reject tariff rate upward review.
The Forum said that a situation where the electricity bill as expected by February will see some flats paying over a N100,000 per month is unacceptable.
According to the Forum “with what NERC has done, our electricity bill in Aba is now higher than our house rent. Do they think we get money from trees?
“They just want to shut down this city and we’ll not allow it. It’s better they either correct this or disconnect the whole of Aba so that the Governor will understand what we’re passing through.
“We have a hotel owner in this City who is currently recharging N500,000 on prepaid meters daily. What this people did here is more than 150% increase because the hotel as at last year was recharging N200,000 per day.
“NERC just wants to destroy Aba. They don’t want any business especially SMEs to survive. Businesses are shutting down .They need to correct this. Go to flats in other places, come to Aba and see what we’re passing through.
“It’s like something is wrong here. We need Governor Otti really intervene. He’s already doing well in infrastructure but without electricity, no business will survive and government cannot get tax.”
The Forum further said that their rejection is premised on the of NERC’s classification of electricity customers electricity consumers into five bands of A, B, C, D, and E.
According to the Forum, NERC said that
Band-A customers should have a power supply from 20 hours and above per day while Band-B Customers are supposed to be having 16 hours electricity supply and above per day, a tariff they said APLE is already complying with without giving the needed supply.
They said that Band-A and Band-B are two big mirage that do not exist in the Aba Ring Fence. And said that even the Band-C that was designed to have a power supply for 12 hours does not even exist in the Aba Ring Fence, as no customer can boast of having to enjoy electricity supply as stated in Bands A, B and C.
The Forum said that the Aba electricity consumers were not consulted as stakeholders which they supposed to prior to the purported Tariff Rate Review, which is a breach of our consumers’ right by NERC.
According to them, “Even God in the garden of Eden heard from all parties before pronouncement of judgement. So, it’s unacceptable that NERC will increase tariff, talking about bands that do not exist in Aba.
The Aba consumers that the tariff Rate review is outrageous and unaffordable and will not be commensurate to electricity consumed, as has been the case.
They went further pleaded with NERC to hear their heart beat as they will pay their electricity bills based on tariff rate as at December 2024 consumption, as they await NERC’s response to their complaints.
The Forum urged NERC to ensure that Aba Power Limited Electrical should not engage in self help mechanism to enforce the rejected tarrif until their complaint to NERC is being resolved.
They said that the situation where APLE recruits the services of some security operatives to follow them to people’s homes to carry out all forms of mass disconnection from customers..
The residents, however, said that they have accepted the advice of the Joint Action Group (JAG) on electricity to ensure that they do not take laws into their hands but channel their grievances through the proper channel of the NERC Forum.
They said they will not resort to violence on the matter but will never accept to pay bills for power not consumed, stressing that since 2022 that APLE took over, they have been paying for darkness instead of light.
Leader of the Joint Action Group, Chief Ike Opigwe thanked the industrialists, residents and other stakeholders for choosing the right and lawful path, as the means of channeling their grievances.
“There should be no protest of any kind. We don’t have any problem with the Disco called APLE. What we have a problem with is the new tariff introduced by NERC. So, I’m glad you’ve chosen the dialogue angle to express your anger.
“I believe the Aba Landlords Association, and so many groups represented here today, will take up the matter from here because the situation is getting out of hand. So, remain peaceful and let’s make a change without violence.”
Opigwe said that the administration of Governor Alex Otti is doing his best to reposition the state, especially Aba, and urged the people to appreciate the Governor’s good works by showing a change in resolution dispute peacefully.
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