Ebun Olowu
On Tuesday September 1, 2020, customers were surprised when they arrived at the offices of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), to recharge their electricity units for pre-paid metre only to be met with outrageous increment of electricity tariffs.
It was gathered that the tariff was increased by as much as 151.4 per cent for areas the company alleges to be enjoying up to 20 hours of electricity supply per day.
According to the table pasted at IBEDC’s offices, the tariff will equally be reviewed upward in January. Subsequently, the electricity company will be reviewing the tariff upward every six months till 2025, when it is expected to come up with another upward review.
According to a customer, who bought electricity units today, one unit under the category of R2 that cost N24.97 is now N62.77.
Investigations revealed that areas claimed to be enjoying 20 hours per days at times do not have electricity for over a week in most cases.
A customer, who could not hide his disbelief, said where he lives, around Ojoo-Arulogun-Ajobo Areas classified as having a minimum of 20 hours of electricity per day has not had electricity for more than one hour in the last five days.
He was shocked when he wanted to purchase his usual N3000 worth of electricity, which use to give him about 111 units of electricity only to be issued with a receipt that shows 44 units of electricity for the same amount.
He said, “I am already in my house, we do not have light now. I cannot load the credit I bought today because there is no light in my area”.
Another customer living in Elewuro Area of Akobo said, “For the past one month, we have not really had light in the true sense of having it. As you are talking to me on phone, we do not have light. Throughout last month, I doubt if we had light up to 10 days and out of the 10 days, we are talking about maybe six or eight hours. It is a very bad experience. This is pathetic”.
Another customers at Oluyole extension said, “Our electricity is very terrible. We do not have light as we speak. Why is government doing this to us? People have not recovered from Covid-19 and IBEDC is coming with what is deadlier than Covid-19. It is true that Nigeria do not have good leaders. It is true that the government is wicked more than the German Nazi”.
