Recently, residents of Aguda and Ayetoro CDA in Surulere expressed their displeasure over exorbitant electricity bills despite poor power supply to the supposedly Band A consumers. They allege that they receive less than 10 hours of electricity daily, instead of the over 20 hours meant for Band A consumers. Besides, they claim that N10,000 worth of electricity units last less than two hours.

They are therefore calling on the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) to return them to Band C, where they believe they truly belong based on the hours of electricity their community receives.

“What they are giving us is even more than our house rent. If you load N10,000 now, it won’t last two hours. Despite the high tariff, we are not getting electricity adequately,” Mr. Jimoh Ajala, the Aguda CDA leader, lamented in a video.

Ajala said, “I am here because of EKEDC. This is a residential area, not commercial. Like yesterday, they took the light four times for four hours each. We are requesting that the DisCo should return us to Band B or C. The tariff is for commercial users and we are not; we are residential.”

Another resident, Adeyanju from Ayetoro CDA, corroborated Ajala’s claims, saying that what they pay for electricity is more than their house rent.

“We are paying more than our house rent for light. This is killing us. They should return us to Band D,” he said.

Jimoh Ajala and other Aguda CDA residents in Surulere protested at the Ikoyi Federal High Court, demanding government action against their exorbitant electricity bills.

Interestingly, they are not alone. Many Lagos residents are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their electricity bills due to several factors, including the harsh economy, rising inflation, high transportation costs and rent, among others.

For instance, Adeniran Olorunsogo, a resident of Aboru, Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos, expressed the belief that his landlord’s decision to install a prepaid meter in the building where he has his shop was the “best thing to have happened in recent years.” Paying estimated bills, which were always outrageous, at the end of every month was an experience he was eager to leave behind. When the meter was installed, he thought the worst was over.

The installation of the meter was seen by this Lagos-based fashion designer as a way of putting an end to his electricity ordeal. But months after the installation, it seems it is not yet uhuru for Olorunsogo, who has his shop on Akinola Road, Aboru, in Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA of Lagos, and other electricity consumers in the community.

Besides being outrageously expensive, sharing one meter in a building is becoming a nightmare and a huge burden.

“The hurdle I thought I had scaled has suddenly resurfaced and is beginning to take its toll on the job.

“Some of the guys I share the meter with are simply unreasonable. They only want to recharge at their convenience. The arrangement has been that we all contribute to buy tokens. But most times, you don’t get their cooperation. And when you buy without them, they still want to use it. I had to leave the shop early yesterday because of this issue,” he stated.

Olorunsogo is now considering getting a separate meter, despite the financial burden it would place on his struggling business. 

This issue is not unique to Olorunsogo. Mr. Makinde, another fashion designer who lives around Olorunto Street in the same LCDA, told one of our correspondents that electricity usage has become a “big deal” in the community, especially for those in Band A, as power is no longer affordable.

“We have light now, but we intentionally switched it off because of the cost. We only use it when everybody is home. People who want to use it outside the agreed time must contribute and recharge. The talk has changed from irregular power to unaffordability,” Makinde said.

Saturday Tribune’s investigation confirmed Makinde’s assertion. Each building now has a power usage timetable. When one of our correspondents visited, power was off across the board.

“We switch it on when everyone is around to ensure fairness. Since we all paid the same, it’s only fair that no one uses more than others,” said a landlord in the area who preferred anonymity.

Asked whether this is fair to those who have paid but are still denied usage, he replied, “That’s the arrangement. If they want extra usage, they can always buy.”

In Agbado-Ijaiye Ojokoro, the situation is no different. Band A customers are unhappy not only due to the high tariffs but also because they don’t receive the promised 20 hours of power per day.

Forcefully upgraded to Band A simply because of their 33kVA connection, they say they barely receive 15 hours of supply daily.

Sadly, most residents are low-income earners: petty traders, artisans, market women and unemployed individuals.

Due to the Band A classification, some no longer bother ironing clothes or using security lights at night. Many have abandoned electric fans and fridges. Freezers are no longer in use.

In crowded homes, even watching television or listening to music during the day is becoming a luxury.

Mr. Mukaila Alatise, who lives in Jankara in Ijaiye-Ojokoro, narrated the community’s ordeal under Ikeja Electric: “We have eight rooms, six occupied by tenants, each with at least three members. We suffered for years without prepaid meters, were placed on estimated billing, and then forced into Band A. The crazy bills from before were transferred to our new meters.

“Band A is fraud. They promise 20 hours of power but deliver only 13 on average, and even that is interrupted. Sometimes, there’s no power all day. Yet, we are Band A.

“Everyone should be in the same band and pay based on actual consumption. N20,000 gives less than 90 units—it barely lasts three weeks. We’ve banned heavy equipment like irons, heaters and freezers.”

Mr. Joseph Alore, a community leader, narrated another ordeal involving new meter installations.

He said, “We have four flats, each with a separate meter. They came five weeks ago and installed new meters with 200 free units. Only two of the meters could be recharged after 10 days. The other two are still not functional.

“Because the units got exhausted after three weeks, we reverted to using generators at night. I eventually requested a reconnection to the old meter.”

For the two affected meters, each resident must first pay N45,000 (for the initial 200 units) before they can begin recharging again, an amount many cannot afford, given other pressing expenses.

They have called on the Federal Government to investigate DisCo practices and stop the exploitation of the masses.

Govt’s response

Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Biodun Ogunleye, responded to allegations of exploitation by DisCos: “It’s painful when they don’t deliver up to four or five hours, let alone 10 or 20, yet you’re charged Band A rates. Regulatory authorities are looking into it and will develop an appropriate tariff methodology driven by performance.”

Tariff categorisation

Electricity consumers in Nigeria are categorised into five tariff bands A to E based on their daily supply hours.

Band A customers receive a minimum of 20 hours of supply daily and pay the highest tariff, reflecting the premium service promised.

We all to blame —DisCo official

A staff member of one of the DisCos servicing Lagos said, “No service provider enjoys causing pain. Government and all stakeholders must play their part. We’re not the only ones in the value chain. Everybody is guilty.”