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*More Pains As Ikeja Electric Cart Away Wires In Lagos *Lagosians Lament How Power Failure Mars Presidential Visit
By Wale Abideen/ It was a work free day in Lagos when President Muhamadu Buhari paid a two day visit to the Commercial Headquarters of the country and Pa Joseph, a senior citizen who was watching television in his 3 Bedroom apartment located at Asanotu Kaffo Street, along Igbogbo area of Ikorodu as the President speaks during Bola Tinubu’s Birthday Lecture when staffs of Ikeja Electric stormed his house and without any conversation with him disconnected and cut away his electric cables. The old man after noticing there was commotions around his compound jumped outside, meeting crowd who were pleading and contributing N2, 000, 000 each to stop the electric officials from going away with their cables.
The man who had paid N4, 000 out of the N6, 000 being his electric bill for the month of February pleaded, begged that he had only one thousand naira, N1, 000 but the IKED Disconnection Team were adamant. It was either N2, 000 or get disconnected. Residents and victims of Ikeja Electric officials’ hooligan style watch the dramatic scene as they dragged the cables with the old man causing him injuries. They eventually went away with the cables. The man cried wailed and cursed the system that brought such hardship on him. Residents whose cables were also disconnected and passersby who pleaded in support of the octogenarian were embarrassed by the team of about 15 guys, heavily kitted with white Ford van, plate numbered LAGOS – AKD539XR. It was all sorry and agonizing stories of a complete helpless situation as residents lament how the IKED Disconnection Team “completely lacks manners while carrying out their duties”.
Haruna Bello, IKED Team leader in Ikorodu on the day president Buhari visited Lagos ensured that all houses who did not comply with the N2, 000 bribery have their cables disconnected and carted away. They were apparently prevented from watching the president in the television as he commissioned state projects in Lagos. The arrogant and ill-mannered IKED staff all armed with pliers they use to cut the cables. It was scooped that they (IKED Staffs) resell the cables to other electricity consumers who demand for it as most people who have their cables carted away never gain access to it again. “This is sad and unexpected under the APC led administration who promised Nigerians frequent power supply during the 2015 electioneering campaign”, says Ayo Solanke, Publisher of AmeboNaija Blogs and Assistant Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists, NGIJ.
Mrs Olabisi Asaye with meter number 0100777135 is a London based Lagosian who narrated her unpleasant ordeal about Nigerian electricity system. “I gave an order to NEPA Officials to disconnect anyone in my house who did not pay their bills. And the reason is simple; the crazy estimated bills will keep multiplying at the detriment of the house owner. I live in London and I have four flats which I rented out 3. For many times, I have had to offset bills I didn’t use. But to my dismay after disconnecting the cables, they continue hanging bills in my house even when they can obviously see that there was no electric supply to the buildings and eventually the house was vacant without occupants. After a year, without a single occupant in my house, I came to Nigeria only to meet over N200, 000 (Two hundred thousand naira) in my NEPA bill. I went to their office times without numbers but could not rectify the account till date. I consider it as an illegal transaction without any sensible explanation that while they saw that the cables from the house to the electric poll have been disconnected and they could even have realized nobody was living in the house. I wonder what the so called Marketer, one Mr. Uche in the area were doing that he could not suspend the bill”. The middle aged Mrs Asaye who felt sorry for the plight of ordinary Nigerians vows to drag Ikeja Electric Company to court whenever she has the time to visit Nigeria again.
This has been the plight of Nigerians over the years, Nigerians and perhaps electricity consumers have been lamenting over the fraudulent estimated bills, unavailability of prepaid Meters or any transparent means of metering, extortion, disconnections and broad day light stealing of peoples’ Wires by staff of Electric companies. Undoubtedly, Nigerians experience unending agony and helplessness occasioned by the epileptic power supply and reign of terror which the electric staffs orchestrate on daily basis and it has become more worrisome in recent times that virtually all houses has one bitter tale or the order to tell as a result of the country’s prolonged power crisis.
Since the beginning of this year, the Disconnection Team of Ikeja Electric has commenced aggressive disconnections of electric cables. The staffs of electric companies flaunt their ego so arrogantly that they harass and extort citizens with impunity.
In a chat with Investigative Journalists, Alhaji Omoboriola Oduyebo, meter number 0101244166 whose supply of electricity has been stopped and his wires taken away, says “it appears the government is deliberately milking us of our hard earn money by allowing the continuation of electric companies nefarious character. I bought my cables with my money and I wonder what laws permit them to remove the cables and take it away. That’s broad day robbery. Apart from that, since last year June that they have disconnected and taken my cables away, they still kept bringing bills. I have confronted the marketer many times but he failed to stop the bill, telling me to write letter which I did without result. It is not only fraudulent but a corporate robbery for a company to come and take away my property. And let me tell you, with this idea of taken away cables without stopping bills, virtually all houses in Nigeria will be indebted to Electric companies. They have hired thugs and miscreants who help them disconnect with criminal tendency. It did not start today; this has been the practice over the years but we thought that with Babatunde Raji Fashola as Minister of power, the APC led administration will put a stop to this official robbery. It becomes more pathetic that the criminal style of these officials continues uncheck despite numerous court injunctions that prohibit them from carting away peoples cables and giving estimated bills”, the old man lament with a conclusion that “Nigeria can never get it right again”.
Ore Moshood, a constitutional lawyer calls on all Nigerians to challenge the illegality of estimated bills and compel government to ensure there is availability of prepaid meters. The maverick lawyer while narrated his experience added that “I bought a house in Agege area of Lagos which I demolished and erect another structure. Incidentally, there was no electric supply to the house when I took over the property. After completion, the landlord association –CDA told me to pay fifty thousand before connecting electricity, arguing that they were the one that bought the poles and cables to connect the street from a very far distance. Reluctantly, I paid the money to the CDA and get connected but surprised that electric companies came in to disconnect my cables, saying the house I just move in less than three days was indebted to Ikeja Electric Company to the tune of Seven Hundred Thousand naira. I petitioned NERC (National Electricity Regulatory Commission) and threatened legal action before they invited me to their Awolowo’s office in Ikeja and begged me not to go to court. They promised to install prepaid meter in the next few weeks and since then no harassment of any sort. So, I have no doubt that what the electric companies were doing is not in tandem with the law and Nigerians should not just get mad over it but challenge the illegality in the law court”.
Last week, the Save Lagos Group (SLG) sent a letter to the upper legislative chambers, Senate with a call on members to commence the processes for the withdrawal of the operational certificate of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.
The position of the Save Lagos Group is contained in a statement issued in its Ikeja, Lagos office on Tuesday signed by its Convener, Comrade Adeniyi, Sulaiman who in a letter dated Monday, 7th August 2017 argued that the electricity distribution firm has not lived up to the expectations of the customers whom it is billed to serve.
According to the group, relevant authorities copied in the petition include, President Muhammadu Buhari, Chairmen of both Senate and House Committees on Interior, Ethics, Privilege and Public Petition, the Ministers of Interior and Power, Works and Housing.
Others the Inspector-General of Police, Chairman of Board of Nigeria Electric Regulatory Commission (NERC), General Manager, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and the Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos State Command.
Sulaiman stated that petition prompted series of meetings between the group and the management of the distribution firm, which has not yielded the right dividends in terms of service delivery to the consumers whom he stated have been paying so much for little or no service rendered to them.
“We have exhausted all avenues to make the electricity distribution firm upgrade its performance. We have held series of meetings with their management after our earlier petition to the General Manager (GM), the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the IKEDC and Director-General of the National Electric Regulatory Commission (NERC) with assurances of improved performance that have never materialized.” He stated.
According to Sulaiman, two separate letters dated October 24th, 2016 and 2nd November, 2016 have been, saying “from the looks of things, the company seems not too concerned with giving quality and affordable services.
“In view of this, we are calling on members of the Senate not to waste time before putting in place processes that would lead to the revocation of the operating certificate of the firm.”
On the way forward, Sulaiman argued that the company reverts back to government ownership in view of the manifest ineptitude of the current managers of the company.
Adewale Adeoye is a veteran Journalist and the Executive Secretary of Journalists for Democratic Rights, JODER, in his facebook wal yesterday posted that “I’m still wondering why Nigerian leaders think they should continue to push Nigerians towards avoidable mass uprising they might not be able to control. This flashed in my mind today when I realise that PHCN bills are going up to the roof. In many instances, Nigerians now pay monthly electricity bills higher than house rent. Some bills are also higher than entire monthly wages. If Nigerias have to use their entire monthly earning to pay for electricity that is not even available, not to talk of rent and feeding, the country should prepare for more deaths and for those alive, they will be compelled to do anything to survive. With this situation, violence will grow even worse. Unfortunately, the leaders are eating and snoring”. Responses to Adeoye’s view were very shocking and unpalatable.
The Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists, NGIJ who had dispatched team of investigators to unravel the plight of ordinary Nigerians in the hands of electricity companies says it will soon make it finding available to the public. According to the spokesman of The Guild, Raman Aliagan in a media chat, NGIJ says that electricity is not a luxury but a necessity and this could be part of the reasons unemployment and insecurity reign supreme in the country. Aliagan who is also the publisher of Time Nigeria Magazine warns that artisans such as welder, radionic and so on who could not stay in their workshop because of epileptic power supply will definitely resort to crime as an idle man stays in devil workshop. He however appeals to government to make prepaid meters available to electric consumers, stressing that this will put an end to the outrageous estimated bills and the idea of extortion and billings without electric supply.
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