Lagosians Protest Against High Electricity Bill

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Hundreds of youths and the elderly on Monday, November 16, marched into the Lagos State House of Assembly protesting that they were being ripped off by the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC).

The protesters under the umbrella of Youth Alliance for Better Nigeria, later blocked the main entrances to the Assembly saying they would remain like that until the Assembly addressed them.

Armed with placards carrying various inscriptions including “Outrageous bill, oppressive conduct of staff,” “Fashola save Nigerians from darkness,” “Enougn exploitation of ten streets on a transformer,” “We need prepaid metres,” “Frustration of government effort to provide employment by not improving the epileptic power supply,” and “Ikeja electricity should stop substandard prepaid metres and bult metres,” they further alleged that top officials of the IKEDC had frustrated moves by the state government to resolve the issue.




Some of the protesters said they were given prepaid metres which were not working.
“Knowing that the metres are not working, the IKEDC resorted to giving us estimated bills. How can this be?” One of the protesters, who simply called herself Bisi queried.

Leader of the group, Moruf Adegoke Niniola, also confirmed this saying: “the IKEDC supplied pre-paid metres to customers but the metres have not been working. The company has not resorted to coded billing system or what you call estimated billing.”

The protesters called for the sack of Sam Amadi, chairman of the National Electricity Regulation Commission.

Majority Leader of the Assembly, Sanai Agunbiade, who addressed the protesters on behalf of the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, commended the protesters for being orderly adding that the Assembly would take the issue up for the residents of the state.

Meanwhile, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had urged Nigerians to prepare for a rise in electricity tariffs. He made this disclosure recently when he spoke at the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.

Source: Naij