Estimated electricity bill: 4 Lagos communities slam N50m suit against NERC, EEDC

Electricity consumers in four communities in Lagos have filed a N50 million suit against the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EEDC) before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.  The communities are praying for an order directing the EEDC to distribute pre-paid meters to all their members.  The suit […]

Electricity consumers in four communities in Lagos have filed a N50 million suit against the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EEDC) before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

 The communities are praying for an order directing the EEDC to distribute pre-paid meters to all their members.

 The suit was filed by Raji Yusuf Olatunji, Omololu Sulaiman, Muritala Aloba, Tawakalitu Onisemo, Mogaji Suaibu, Oyelade Kolawole and Solomon for themselves and on behalf of the landlords and tenants of Alaba Oro, Mosafejo Amukoko, Abule Kere and Olaniyonu communities.

 The complainants, who initiated the case to express their displeasure over alleged extortion by the NERC and EEDC, are praying for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 2nd defendant from issuing bills to any consumer in the communities that hasn’t a pre-paid meter.

 They equally want the court to direct the NERC to withdraw the provisional licences issued to the EEDC to distribute electricity to the community and provide an alternative company in replacement.

 In the suit, the claimants argued that consequent upon the failure of the EEDC to provide pre-paid meters to members of their communities and the billing by estimation system adopted by EEDC, their communities were not being charged appropriately to determine their consumption and, hence, the billing was arbitrary.

 The claimants also contended that the EEDC had continued to bill their communities by the estimation system, which they described as excessive and not commensurate with electricity supplied and consumed by the consumers.

 The communities informed the court that the EEDC had imposed a reconnection fee against any consumer who failed to pay within the month of billing and whose electricity supply was disconnected from the main source of electricity supply.

 They insisted that the EEDC deliberately and persistently refused to issue and deliver pre-paid meters despite series of complaints and protests by them, while the extortionist arrangement allegedly continued.