Over 1,500 residents of Jos, the Plateau State capital, under the auspices of Coalition of Plateau Residents for Peace and Development, weekend protested against alleged indiscriminate estimated billing system by the management of the Jos Electricity Company (JEDC).
Chairman of the group, Sam Tokz, while addressing the protesters, said consumers under the estimated billing system were charged above their consumption rates despite poor power supply.
Tokz lamented the poor response to consumers’ complaints by staff of JEDC and the alleged “unprofessional conduct of some staff of the company.”
“There was replacement of old calibrated meters with new un-calibrated meters without proper enlightenment of the customers. The tariff rates for Plateau State should be urgently reviewed downwards as obtained in Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna states.
“We also call on management of JEDC to ensure proper consultations with key stakeholders on the new pre-paid meters and the certification of the said new meters be properly calibrated, technicians must certify that the new meters are calibrated to fit Nigerians consumption rate, JED must also involve the consumers in the process of the meter certification,” he said.
He called on JEDC to retrain its staff on customer relationship, as the group threatened to take legal action against the company while he stated that “if our prayers are not adequately addressed by JEDC from now to February 24, 2017, we will be left with the option of legal action against the company for the common good of the residents of Plateau State.”
The protesters carried placards that read ” No to un-calibrated meters”, ” No to estimated billing”, ” No to high tariff,” and “No to new fake meters.”
Abigail Choji, a resident of Rayfield in Jos, however, bitterly complained about the indiscriminate estimated system, saying, “I have gone to JEDC office several times so that they can rectify my bill, for about three years now I have been constantly given bill of N30,000 to N40,000. I have called on the attention of JEDC to rectify it, as I don’t run a factory in my house. My efforts however seem futile as I have not been given attention.”
Another resident of Rukuba Road in Jos North, Paul Musa, complained of “crazy bills” of which he said “JEDC staff don’t read the analogue meter but issue bills as they deem fit.”
Addressing the protesters, Mansur Nakande, senior manager, planning and network expansion of JEDC plc, said management would look into the issues and hold a stakeholders meeting next week to address them.
