How light companies dey use estimated billing show Nigerians pepper
For January, one bill to make am offence for Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to give customer cost wey be guesswork or estimate, pass third reading for di House of Representatives.
Di lawmaker wey carri di bill drop for table, say e go make sure say prepaid meters dey for all houses, so long as di customers apply for di meters. Dis estimated billing na di main complain wey many Nigerians get about Distribution Companies (DisCos) as e dey make many pipo pay for light dem no use. Na two ways DisCos dey take charge pipo for electricity wey dem use. Dem fit use prepaid, wia pesin go pay for di light before im begin use am or post-paid, wia pesin go pay for di light wey im don already use. Di thing be say many Nigerians wey dey use light no get meter to measure how much dem dey use, wey make di distribution companies begin use dis estimated billing to do guesswork based on wetin dey di pesin house. Di wahala wit estimated billing Many Naija pipo dey depend on generator as light no dey too dey Emeka say im buy prepaid metre from Abuja carri go Enugu to put am for im house. Di DisCos for im area for Enugu tell am say dem no go fit to put dat one for am becos im no buy from dem. "Dem say if I want prepaid metre, I must to buy from dem," na so im tok. Im say, di one wey dey pain am pass be say, e don pass one year now wey im pay dem for di metre but im neva see am. Instead na estimated bill dem dey carri come meet am and e dey too expensive. For Nasiru (no be im real name) wey dey Lagos, im say im get post-paid metre wey dey work, but instead make di electricity company read di metre den calculate exactly how much light wey im go pay for end of month, dem go just estimate any amount wey dem like give am. In fact, di tin pain am sotey im write letter to di DisCo make dem come disconnect im light, say im no want again. Tok-tok pesin for Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofulue say di reason why dem dey do estimated billing na becos dem no get enough prepaid metre for evri pesin wey need am. Im say anoda reason be say, most of di post-paid metres wey pipo dey use dey very old sotey e no dey accurate again. So di only solution na to use estimate take collect dia moni. Ontop Nasiru mata, Ofulue say di problem be say im neva carri im mata go to di right pipo wey dia work na to collect complain forward am to di necessary place wey dem go solve am. For Emeka case, im say di tin be say, e no possible to move metre from one street to anoda tokless of to carri am from one state go anoda. According to am, if you move metre from one state to anoda, all di moni wey you dey pay for am go dey go back to di DisCos for di state wia you from buy am, becos dem don already set am like dat. Minister wey dey in charge of light mata for Nigeria, oga Tunde Fashola bin don accuse di DisCos say dem no wan give pipo pre-paid meters, so dem go continue to dey give dem estimated bills. Im accuse di DisCos say dem dey use estimated billing dey do magomago, and many pipo go dey hope say lawmakers pass di bill wey go make dat kain thing criminal offence.