8th September, 2024
Agency report
Many Electricity Consumers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have decried the transfer of their electricity tariff to Band A, saying they were not having the promised 20-hour power supply.
The consumers, who reside in Kubwa, Lugbe and the environs spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
According to them, they were shocked to see themselves in Band A without any notice from the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
Band A customers are those who are supposed to receive at least 20 hours of electricity supply daily and are expected to pay N209.5 Kilowatts (KWh) per hour.
The consumers also complained that they do not have power supply for up to 10 hours a day.
Mrs Erica Ekama, a Civil Servants, who resides in Kubwa said that she was shocked when she recharged her meter and was given 22.2 units for #5,000.
Ekama said that the area she lived in Kubwa does not get power supply for 10 hours a day.
Ekama said it was even more annoying that in the same Kubwa, some consumers were still buying at the old tariff rate.
She said: “Why should I be paying for Band A services when I hardly get power supply for 10 hours a day?
“Why are some consumers in the same Kubwa still buying at the old rate, I don’t understand AEDC anymore.
”The company should look into this issue seriously because it is not right to be collecting money for services not rendered, ” she said.
Mr Mathew Ojei, who also resides at Kubwa, said he experienced the same thing as he recharged #2,000 but was given just 8.2 units.
Ojei said that he was not on Band A and if AEDC was putting consumers in that area on Band A, they should give them the services required.
“I am not on Band A, why am I paying so much for electricity when I don’t enjoy up to 20 hours a day power supply?” he asked.
Mrs Osas Iwinosa told NAN that she recharged ₦5,000 and was given 22.2 units.
Iwinosa said when she saw the units and inquired from her neighbours in the same compound if they were now on Band A, they said they were still buying at the old rate.
“My problem is that how can there be five flats in a compound and only one flat is buying tariff of Band A and others are still on the old tariff?
“I cannot understand the way the movement of consumers to Band A is taking place, so AEDC should please look into the issue and make amend,” she said.
Also, a consumer residing at Lugbe, Mrs Omolara Taiwo complained of the same movement to Band A.
According to Taiwo, she did not understand why some people were on Band C and others in the same compound were forced into Band A.
She said that AEDC should look into the issue, adding that it was not fair on those paying higher tariffs than others and having the same number of hours of power supply.
