Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company
Abnormal estimated bills, unjustified disconnection of electricity and collection of illegal and illegitimate charges by the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) has led to a street protest by the residents of Oshodi and Mafoluku community seeking an end to the problem.
The Chairman, Oshodi Articulate Residence, Monday Alfred, in an interaction with The Guardian, complained about the estimated billing which has been going on for three years now even after officially reporting the issue several times to the IKEDC head office Ikeja, Okota branch and Oshodi undertaking office.
According to Alfred, “We have been clamouring for prepaid meters for more than three years now, IKEDC promised us that they will give us the prepaid meters but up till now we have not seen any and they have been using the opportunity to extort money from us.”
He continued, that the overestimated billing has been going on for over three years now, rising from N3,000 monthly per residence or flat to 30,000 Naira and in some cases it goes above 100,000 Naira per month.
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“We have written several times to IKEDC appealing to them to give us Prepaid Meters. We had a rally last year and at the secretariat in Alausa and all they said was that they will get back to us but till now we have got no response,” Alfred added.
The spokesperson of the Oshodi Articulate Residence, Akinmuye Adewu, during the protest stated that what happened in Oshodi-Isolo Local Government is to put an end to the estimated bills being given to them by the IKEDC which they see as a way to illicitly extort money from them.
Adewu said, “After we complained to their head office, they said we should be paying gradually till it is corrected but the bills keeps going higher and we are tired. We want to pay for what you use and not what you didn’t use and that’s why we need the Prepaid Meter.”
“We started experiencing this overbilling issue when the new Manager, Oshodi Undertaking Office of IKEDC, Ore Oluwa, was transferred to Oshodi,” he added.The councilor of Shogunle ward, Hon Femi Mustafa, while addressing the protesters commented on their efforts to see that the right thing is done owing to the fact that it affects everybody including the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government.
He urged them to make the demonstration peaceful and promised to deliver their complaints to the Chairman immediately he get to the office. He also promised to try his possible best to see to it that the Chairman treats the matter judiciously.
The Manager Oshodi Undertaking Office of IKEDC, Ore Oluwa, when contacted by The Guardian didn’t deny the accusations by the protesters but refused to speak about it saying it’s against their policy.
Source: G Business
