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Customers of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) say that the company will be creating disquiet and mass protests as it moves ahead with its plans to phase-out pre-paid meters in South-East.
A notice to that effect signed by EEDC Network Manager, Mr Jyotirmaya Lenka, dated Dec. 16, was sneaked into consumers premises few days to Christmas.
The letter confirmed the move to replace the black box pre-paid meter in use is many South East premises with pre-paid meters from Meter Asset Provider (MAP) commencing from Jan. 1, 2020.
However, each customer may cough out about N38,000 to get single-phase new MAP pre-paid meters.
The new charge was in line with MAP scheme approved by National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that was rolled out in May 2019 across several distribution companies.
A correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who went around Enugu metropolis on Monday, observed that the black box pre-paid meters were being used by no fewer than 80 per cent of the electricity consumers/residents in Enugu and South-East.
NAN reports that Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), had introduced the smart card pre-paid meters to consumers to replace the analog meters.
That was shortly before the unbundling of the electricity sector by the Federal Government in 2014.
It was learnt that residents who did not have the analog meter to change then had to pay N17,000 to buy one.
Also some residents had to give extra monetary tips before getting the meter then.
Trouble started when the EEDC stated in its notice that it lacked the technical support to service the pre- paid meters, which it described as obsolete.
That was even as consumers using the black box pre-paid meters noted that there was no known challenge in using it.
A customer, Mr Lawrence Njoku, living in Agbede Street in Awkunanaw, Enugu, said that EEDC as a corporate organisation should look at the financial and community burden its recent move would put in the entire South-East.
“It is unfortunate that the information came late, not well-tailored and the time to hook off their esteemed customers being so short to be just few days of sending the letters to residents.
“I do not know what the company will want to achieve by this painful and anti-people move as well as what they want us to do if they log out almost all their customers from the system and we remain in black-out in the South-East.
“Or, do they want us to return to estimated billings system, a system that has been attested to be fraudulent by nature,’’ Njoku said.
Another customer, Mr Nonye Ugwu, a resident of Akwunanaw, noted that the arbitrariness of EEDC was becoming something else as it had not given convincing reason for phasing out the pre-paid meters used by majority of the people.
Ugwu said: “Are we moving backward or returning to estimated billing system?
“Or how do residents managing to survive present hardship, cough out N38,000 to pay for a MAP pre-paid meters and still pay house rent, school fees and other compulsory spending this January?’’
Mr Chukwuma Ebube, a resident of Trans Ekulu, noted that the various legislative houses in the states in the South-East should look into this excess, adding that they should not sit down in the comfort of their houses while EEDC exploited ordinary residents.
“This is what political leaderships in various states in the zone should take up and stop this massive planed financial exploitation of our people.
“This is time for our state legislators and governors to stand up for the people before billions of naira are extorted from the residents of the South-East,’’ he said.
Mr Ifeanyi Aghaji, a resident of Achara Layout, said that the black box pre-paid meters are not only used in Enugu metropolis “but also in “my village in Umudim in Nnewi’’.
“So, I wonder where the company wants our rural people to get the money for a new MAP pre-paid meter.
“There is no problem since they want to create disquiet and unending protest in the zone they should go ahead with their threat.
“This is if people in rural areas that are more organised than the city dwellers will allow them to carry out their threat,’’ Aghaji said.
Reacting, the Head of Communications, EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, said that the company could no longer provide technological support for the popular black box pre-paid meter; so customers on its should migrated to MAP Smart Pre-paid meters.
Ezeh said that the affected customers had been pre-informed of the development through a letter sent to them.
“They are also encouraged to take advantage of the ongoing Meter Asset Provider (MAP) metering scheme to get their meters replaced by going through the process and paying for the new pre-paid meters.
“The company can no longer provide technical support for these affected black box pre-paid meters,’’ he said.
He further explained that EEDC do not have pre-paid meters to do exchange but that NERC through MAP smart pre-paid meters’ companies in the zone would have to install the meter after due process and payment.
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