The leaderships of Int’l Society for Civil Liberties
& the Rule of Law (Intersociety), Southeast Zone of the Civil
Liberties Organization (Southeast CLO) and 13 other
members of the Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights
& Good Governance Organizations (SBCHROs) are strongly
calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria and its Ministry of
Power el al; manned by Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN to revoke
the operating license granted to the Enugu Electricity Distribution
Company (EEDC) for failing woefully to improve and revolutionalize
power distribution in Southeast Nigeria.
This strong call of ours has become necessary and second to no
other following mindboggling atrocious conducts of the Company;
especially by its field personnel; fully condoned by the Company in
its 18 Business Districts of the Southeast Zone. Totality of these
atrocious conducts has shackled and manacled the People of
Southeast Nigeria and forced them into chronic bondage; and
industrial and developmental retardation or backwardness.
We had on 18th December 2017, raised a joint petition
(special memo) to the Minister of Power el al, the Acting Chairman
of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the
Senate Committee Chairman on Power el al and the House Committee
Chairman on Power el al. For purpose of fair hearing and solidity
and sanctity of our investigation and its findings, the Acting MD
of EEDC and his Ogbaru, Onitsha and Ogidi Network Managers; etc
were copied. All the addressees except Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe
(Senate Committee Chair on Power) and Hon Effiong Daniel (House
Committee Chair on Power); have received copies of the petition.
The latter had gone on Xmas break, but will be reached in early
January 2018.
We are also strongly calling for immediate investigation and
dismissal of present Ogbaru, Onitsha and Ogidi Network
Managers of the EEDC and their subordinate senior managers for
marketing, billing, operations, network expansion or
distribution. The three Network Managers are:
Engineers Obi Ughasoro for Ogbaru Business District, Ozor Nweke for
Onitsha Business District and Chris Ezeoha for Ogidi Business
District.
More Statistics of EEDC Mindboggling Atrocities in Southeast
Nigeria
There are now rampant cases where the whole area is plunged into
total darkness by disconnection of same from feeder lines; accusing
them of “under payment”. In Ogbaru Business District, for instance,
the consumers using “33 Feeder Line” in Iyiowa Layout are now
plunged into five days of total blackout every week and since
25th November 2017 (26/11/2017-31/11/2017;
3/12/2017-8/12/2017; 11/12/2017-15/12/2017 and18/12/2017-
21/12/2017) accusing them of “making under payment”.
As if not was not enough, each residential building there is
also visited and its power line severed. There are other reported
cases of distribution transformers of single phase consumers in
Awada (Idemmili North), Odor-Rubber, Iyiowa Layout and Okpoko
(Ogbaru) and Fegge (Onitsha), etc being disconnected for weeks and
plunged into total blackout. Specifically, the single phase
residential consumers using distribution transformers located at
Chioma by Mission Road and Akili Ogidi Street had their
transformers disconnected and plunged into total darkness since
30th November 2017 for “making under-payment”, ranging
from N5, 000/N6, 000 to N7, 000 per consumer.
The personnel of the Ogbaru Navy Outpost were procured and used
in the violent disconnection exercise. The consumers of Ehirim
Street in Iyiowa Layout also were not left out, as they were
swooped on by machete bearing EEDC disconnection staff on
13th December 2017 at about 10.30am and later joined by
personnel of the Nigerian Navy, Ogbaru Outpost. The single phase
residential consumers in the named Street were accused of “making
N4, 000 to N5, 000 under payment” for the month of November 2017,
instead of paying the entire estimated monthly bill as criminally
issued. Consumers of Chioma by Mission Road Substation in Iyiowa
Odekpe have also been receiving incessant harassment from EEDC in
Ogbaru and criminal invitations from Atani Police Station for
“making under payments”.
There is also rampancy of cases where churches and other
consumers in the range of three phase consumers (R2T) and D1TI
consumers are made to face total disconnection by violent EEDC
disconnction staff; accompanied by hired soldiers, police or navy
personnel. For instance, in Ogbaru LGA, churches were disconnected
in September and October 2017 for “making under payments”. Newly
constructed residential buildings are also left out as they are
heavily extorted or forced to pay heavily before being connected
with electricity supply from EEDC. Instances are too many to
mention.
Cases also abound where single phase residential consumers are
issued with monthly estimated bills of as much as N170, 000 to
N190, 000 per month for each of the consumers. When such are
reported to relevant EEDC personnel and offices such as
Marketing, Operation and Billing Managers, the affected
consumers are told that “they have no case” and should go and pay
the entire bills. For instance, a single phase residential consumer
residing in a 3-bedroom apartment, located at No. 8 Abazuonu
Street, Iyiowa Layout in the Ogbaru Business District was issued
with N173, 034.79 as his November 2017 monthly bill consumed in
October. His post paid meter number is 94000555 and account
number-52/24/23/1275-01. The referenced consumer also has
“accumulated bills” of N84, 652.028 arising from previously imposed
outrageous estimated monthly bills.
Another single phase consumer occupying a 3-bedroom flat at No 8
Isunjaba Street, Iyiowa Layout with post paid number 0325000376 and
account number 52/24/03/2816-01 was given estimated bill of N192,
567.09 for month of November 2017 for “energy consumed in
October”. He has arrears of N10, 048.44 and had paid a total
of N32, 000 in the past eight months. The two affected consumers
had met the Ogbaru EEDC billing, operation and marketing
managers for the error to be corrected; only to be worked out
of their offices and given a matching order to “go and pay all the
current charges”. Instances are too many to mention.
Owing to reckless issuance of outrageous estimated bills by EEDC
especially to single phase residential consumers; billions, if not
tens of billions of worth of “accumulated bills” abound in the
Southeast. In many, if not most single phase residences and their
residents, EEDC’s monthly estimated bills have become much higher
than monthly house rents. For instance, the N173, 034.79 and N192,
567.09 issued to the two referenced consumers above as “November
2017 monthly bill” is more than one year house rent of a 3-bedroom
apartment and its occupant in Iyiowa Layout, Ogbaru LGA of Anambra
State; which goes for N150, 000 to N180, 000 per annum.
It is also an act of impossibility for a consumer resident that
owes arrears of his or her N13, 000 to N15, 000 monthly house rent
or less to be asked to pay N10, 000 to N15, 000 monthly as
electricity bill. As a matter of fact, all the unmetered (prepaid)
single phase, three phase (R2T) and D1TI consumers in the Southeast
have over paid EEDC since 2012. That is to say that all the
“accumulated bills” being lumped monthly by EEDC and demanded as
“unpaid arrears owed” are untenable and non-payable. EEDC also
maintains fraudulent dual tariffs for its single phase consumers
whereby some are issued N30.93k per unit while others get N34.28k.
This is a clear breach of Federal Government and NERC uniformed
pricing policy for electricity consumers in Nigeria.
Daily power supply ratio or average in the Southeast is also
acutely abysmal with urban cities getting less than five hours per
day and rural communities less than four hours per day. In other
social climes in Africa and other developing countries, power
supply hits national and sub national daily average of 22hrs.
Cases abound also whereby community of single phase residential
consumers that undertook the task of procuring and installing
distribution transformers or installing such given to them by
politicians using EEDC certified private electricity engineers; are
stopped by EEDC from having their newly installed transformers
activated or energized unless “they liquidate or pay 50% of
accumulated arrears in the bills”; arising from EEDC’s outrageous
estimated billing system, running into millions of naira in each
street, if not per residential building.
For instance, in Ogbaru Business District in Anambra State,
headed by Engineer Obi Ughasoro; the single phase residential
consumers of Nwoke Street by School Lane and Nwachukwu Lane by
Acha Street, located at Iyiowa Layout were bluntly told by the
Ogbaru Network Manager, Engineer Obi Ughasoro to “pay 50% of all
their arrears” before their newly installed transformers; already
profiled and possessed by EEDC could be activated or energized. The
two transformers were given to them by Senator Stella Oduah and
Princess Chinwe Nwaebili respectively in 2016 and January 2017.
They have remained in total blackout or acute load shedding for
more than one year.
In all, the social consequences of the criminal
activities and other forms of lawlessness of EEDC in the Southeast
especially among the People of the Zone are incalculable and
inestimable. Apart from acute retardation of the growth of
industries and other forms of economic growth and development in
the Zone; generated social inconveniences have risen to an apogee.
Infant and maternal mortality and diseases have gone viral;
likewise airborne and water borne diseases and deteriorating
insanitary conditions. Owing to the same power epilepsy or acute
shortage, if not total blackout; mosquito bites have increased
especially in this period of scorching heats. The sick, the old,
the heavily pregnant women, the newborn, the infants, etc have all
borne the brunt of EEDC’s criminality, recklessness and
lawlessness.
Criminal Syndicate Now Removes & Destroys Received
Public Letters At EEDC & NERC
It is further recalled that Intersociety had written several
letters to Ogbaru and Enugu headquarters of EEDC in early 2015. In
the said letter, complaints concerning issues highlighted above
were raised. But Intersociety’s letter was ignored, forcing same to
take recourse to NERC headquarters in Abuja via a letter, dated
10th November 2015, after further efforts to get the
Southeast Area office of NERC to intervene and call EEDC to order
failed woefully.
To the greatest shock and surprise of Intersociety, its letter
to NERC was removed by EEDC’s oiled criminal syndicate from where
it was documented for attention. It took the organization more time
and resources to send a team to NERC headquarters for its
replacement and effect associated processes; leading to the visit
of NERC team to Ogbaru in mid 2016. The visit resulted to a meeting
between Intersociety, Iyiowa Layout Electricity Consumers’ Forum
and representatives of NERC, Abuja and its Southeast Zone; EEDC,
Enugu; EEDC, Ogbaru; and EEDC Onitsha; which took place on
25th May 2016.
Present in the meeting were: Engineer Obi Ughasoro for Ogbaru
Business District, Bonaventure Emeachi (Onitsha Business District),
Agu Eucharia (EEDC Ogbaru), Ugwuegbu F.C. (EEDC Ogbaru), Agbo
Celestine O. (EEDC Ogbaru), Okoye Emma Chukwudi (EEDC Ogbaru),
Segum M. (EEDC Ogbaru), Engr. Onyebuchi Okechi (NERC
Owerri/Southeast), Engr. A.I. Yusuf (NERC Abuja), Ogunchebe Ijeoma
(EEDC Enugu headquarters), Engr. Ozonweke (EEDC GRA/Onitsha), Emeka
Umeagbalasi (for Intersociety/rights groups) and the elected
executives of the Abazuonu/Ihitenasaa Residents Electricity Users’
Forum led by its chairman, Reverend Elisha Umeh.
In the said meeting, agreements were reached including need for
improved power supply, NERC’s directive to EEDC to provide prepaid
meters to all its consumers especially its single phase, three
phase (R2T) and D1TI consumers, sticking to NERC recommended
billing methods for unmetered consumers and those with faulty post
paid meters, issuance of adequate notice before disconnection and
non-disconnection of the entire building for default of few as well
as discontinuation of shouldering of responsibility by community of
consumers in the area of procurement and installation of
transformers and maintenance of ailing ones, etc.
Months later, all the agreements reached were flouted by EEDC
including the Ogbaru, Onitsha and Ogidi Business Districts and
their Network Managers; forcing Intersociety to write the Ogbaru
Network Manager on 31st January 2017, reminding him of
his District’s dishonouring of all the agreements reached in the
25th of May 2016 meeting at St James Outstation Catholic
Church in Iyiowa Layout. His poor response to same led to
another letter from Intersociety to the CEO of EEDC, dated
28th March 2017. The letter was taken straight to Enugu
and submitted by one of the lawyers working for Intersociety; with
an acknowledgement copy fully stamped. Months later, and on
enquiry, the letter was declared missing at EEDC Enugu headquarters
where it was filed for attention.
We later found that the same criminal syndicate procured by the
accused including the Ogbaru Business District and its Network
Manager had possibly removed and destroyed same. A copy of the
acknowledgement letter, duly received and stamped by Enugu EEDC
CEO; with affidavit of facts, deposed before the High Court of
Onitsha by a leading victim of EEDC’s criminality and other forms
of lawlessness- Emeka Umeagbalasi; is hereby attached.
We hereby seek for the rescue of the People of Southeast Nigeria
from chronic bondage, oppressive and criminal conducts of EEDC by
calling on your public offices especially the authorities of Abuja
NERC and Federal Ministry of Power el al, to thoroughly investigate
the EEDC especially in the area of sharp practices highlighted
above. EEDC’s recklessness, criminality and lawlessness in the
Southeast via its personnel and within the context of vicarious
liability; must no longer be allowed to rear its ugly head in the
Southeast and among the People of the Zone.
Such thorough investigation under demand, should focus on the
following monumental failures of EEDC to: (a) distribute and
market electricity and collect monthly lawful bills, (b) meter via
prepaid metering policy of the Federal Government; all is single
phase residential customers, three phase customers (R2T), D1TI
customers and maximum demand or industrial customers, (c) stick to
NERC issued tariff pricing of N30.93k per unit and strictly apply
NERC recommended billing method for non-metered single phase
residential consumers; by using monthly average consumption units
consumed by those with functional meters (i.e. 50 units multiply by
N30.93K).
Others are its failure: (d) not to disconnect unmetered
customers that pay reasonable part payment of their estimated
monthly bills and issue appropriate notice before disconnecting
them, (e) not to carry out mass disconnection by severing feeder
lines or disconnecting the entire transformer or residential
building; to avoid unlawfully punishing those that have paid as
appropriate, (f) failure to issue appropriate disconnection notice
and disconnect only the defaulting consumers, (g) failure to
provide un-tempered and NERC certified prepaid meters to all
consumers in Southeast Nigeria (note: EEDC says it has not metered
over 700,000 single phase residences in Southeast
Nigeria).
The rest of EEDC monumental failures; requiring thorough
investigation and appropriate sanctions are: (h) failure to
effect adequate provision and installation of distribution
transformers, specifically for consumers who are in need and
generally for the purpose of ensuring distribution expansion and
efficiency, (i) non-provision of power distribution network
accessories including transformer accessories and feeder lines’
spares, (j) failure to ensure round-the-clock maintenance of
distribution transformers and distribution feeder lines, and (k)
failure to disallow consumers in their groups or in individual to
bear the brunt or cost of procuring, installing and maintaining
distribution transformers. Etc. The Company’s seemingly fraudulent
use of dual tariff of N30.93k and N34.28k for its single phase
residential consumers should also be investigated.
Apart from our collective demand for thorough investigation into
the above criminal conducts of EEDC and its personnel, we also
collectively seek for total reversal of same and meting out of
appropriate sanctions against the Company including total review of
operating license issued to same by the Federal Government in 2012.
EEDC should thoroughly be evaluated especially in the area of its
inputs into power distribution in Southeast since 2012.
That is to say: how many distribution transformers have the
Company procured and installed on its own since 2012 and their
locations in the Southeast? How many of same provided or procured
and installed by States Governments, politicians and consumers have
EEDC profiled and cornered or possessed in the Southeast since
2012?
How many single phase residential, three phase
(R2T), D1TI and maximum demand or industrial consumers have the
Company provided with prepaid meters since 2012 in the Zone
especially in Anambra’s six Districts of Ogbaru, Onitsha, Ogidi,
Awka, Nnewi and Ekwulobia? How many containers’ load of power
distribution accessories including transformer oil, fuses, armoured
cables, feeder wires/cables, transformer panels and units, etc; are
presently stocked by EEDC for round-the-clock maintenance of its
existing distribution transformers?
It is also our collective demand that EEDC should be firmly and
swiftly directed to write off and clear from its data system all
accumulated bills arising from criminally and obnoxiously imposed
estimated bills on its unmetered consumers and those with faulty
post paid meters. Such accumulated bills; which the Company claims
to be in tens of billions of naira in the Southeast; do not exist.
This is because unmetered consumers in the Zone have extensively
over-paid EEDC since 2012. In other words, it is EEDC that owes its
unmetered consumers; not the other way.
The authorities of NERC and the Federal Ministry of Power el al
are further called upon to strongly direct EEDC to issue a fixed
monthly tariff of 50 units or N1, 600 to all its single phase
consumers in rural areas and 80 units or N2, 400 to their urban
cities’ counterparts; using national approved tariff of N30.93k;
pending when the Company is able to make prepaid meters available
to all its consumers in the Southeast Zone.
For unmetered three-phase (R2T) and D1TI consumers, 150 and 200
units or N4500 and N6000, respectively, should be given to them
across board. The EEDC’s criminal policy of indiscriminate
allocation of outrageous and obnoxious tariff units, ranging from
350 units to 1000 units especially to each of the single phase
residential consumers must no longer be allowed by your public
offices.
The Company’s lawless practice of disconnecting consumers en
masse for “making under payments” should be prohibited by your
public offices and it should be directed immediately to restore
power supply to those presently plunged into total darkness in the
whole or part of Southeast Nigeria. EEDC should also be directed to
provide prepaid meters to all categories of its consumers in
Southeast and such prepaid meters should be supervised and
certified by NERC and the Federal Ministry of Power el al.
The sharp practices of the Network Managers of EEDC in the
Southeast Zone and their personnel especially those of Ogbaru
Business District-Engineer Obi Ughasoro (+2348036315033), Onitsha
Business District-Engineer Ozor Nweke and Ogidi Business or Network
District-Engineer Chris Ezeoha; as highlighted above, should also
be thoroughly investigated; with appropriate sanctions recommended
against them to their mother headquarters (Enugu EEDC).
Investigation being demanded from NERC must not be delegated to
its Southeast Zonal Office, but should be directly handled by the
Abuja headquarters of the Commission. We also call on the Senate
and House Committees on Power el al to investigate the complaints
raised in this letter; as part of their legislative oversight
duties.
Signed:
For: Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of
Law (Intersociety)
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Barr Obianuju Igboeli
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Program
Email: igboeliobianuju@gmail.com
Barr Chinwe Umeche
Head, Democracy & Good Governance
Program
Email: chinwe.englewood@gmail.com
For: Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights
Organizations (SBCHROs)
Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah
Mobile Line: +2348035090548
Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, Southeast Zone
(Southeast CLO)
Jerry Chukwuokoro, PhD
International Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights
Initiative (ISPHRI)
Mobile Line: +2348035372962
Comrade Vincent Ezekwume
Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra State
Branch (Anambra CLO)
Mobile Line: +2348171793911
Comrade Nelson Nnana Nwafor
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy &
Development (FENRAD-Nigeria)
Mobile Line: +2348033383708
The leaderships of Int’l Society for Civil Liberties
& the Rule of Law (Intersociety), Southeast Zone of the Civil
Liberties Organization (Southeast CLO) and 13 other
members of the Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights
& Good Governance Organizations (SBCHROs) are strongly
calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria and its Ministry of
Power el al; manned by Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN to revoke
the operating license granted to the Enugu Electricity Distribution
Company (EEDC) for failing woefully to improve and revolutionalize
power distribution in Southeast Nigeria.
This strong call of ours has become necessary and second to no
other following mindboggling atrocious conducts of the Company;
especially by its field personnel; fully condoned by the Company in
its 18 Business Districts of the Southeast Zone. Totality of these
atrocious conducts has shackled and manacled the People of
Southeast Nigeria and forced them into chronic bondage; and
industrial and developmental retardation or backwardness.
We had on 18th December 2017, raised a joint petition
(special memo) to the Minister of Power el al, the Acting Chairman
of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the
Senate Committee Chairman on Power el al and the House Committee
Chairman on Power el al. For purpose of fair hearing and solidity
and sanctity of our investigation and its findings, the Acting MD
of EEDC and his Ogbaru, Onitsha and Ogidi Network Managers; etc
were copied. All the addressees except Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe
(Senate Committee Chair on Power) and Hon Effiong Daniel (House
Committee Chair on Power); have received copies of the petition.
The latter had gone on Xmas break, but will be reached in early
January 2018.
We are also strongly calling for immediate investigation and
dismissal of present Ogbaru, Onitsha and Ogidi Network
Managers of the EEDC and their subordinate senior managers for
marketing, billing, operations, network expansion or
distribution. The three Network Managers are:
Engineers Obi Ughasoro for Ogbaru Business District, Ozor Nweke for
Onitsha Business District and Chris Ezeoha for Ogidi Business
District.
More Statistics of EEDC Mindboggling Atrocities in Southeast
Nigeria
There are now rampant cases where the whole area is plunged into
total darkness by disconnection of same from feeder lines; accusing
them of “under payment”. In Ogbaru Business District, for instance,
the consumers using “33 Feeder Line” in Iyiowa Layout are now
plunged into five days of total blackout every week and since
25th November 2017 (26/11/2017-31/11/2017;
3/12/2017-8/12/2017; 11/12/2017-15/12/2017 and18/12/2017-
21/12/2017) accusing them of “making under payment”.
As if not was not enough, each residential building there is
also visited and its power line severed. There are other reported
cases of distribution transformers of single phase consumers in
Awada (Idemmili North), Odor-Rubber, Iyiowa Layout and Okpoko
(Ogbaru) and Fegge (Onitsha), etc being disconnected for weeks and
plunged into total blackout. Specifically, the single phase
residential consumers using distribution transformers located at
Chioma by Mission Road and Akili Ogidi Street had their
transformers disconnected and plunged into total darkness since
30th November 2017 for “making under-payment”, ranging
from N5, 000/N6, 000 to N7, 000 per consumer.
The personnel of the Ogbaru Navy Outpost were procured and used
in the violent disconnection exercise. The consumers of Ehirim
Street in Iyiowa Layout also were not left out, as they were
swooped on by machete bearing EEDC disconnection staff on
13th December 2017 at about 10.30am and later joined by
personnel of the Nigerian Navy, Ogbaru Outpost. The single phase
residential consumers in the named Street were accused of “making
N4, 000 to N5, 000 under payment” for the month of November 2017,
instead of paying the entire estimated monthly bill as criminally
issued. Consumers of Chioma by Mission Road Substation in Iyiowa
Odekpe have also been receiving incessant harassment from EEDC in
Ogbaru and criminal invitations from Atani Police Station for
“making under payments”.
There is also rampancy of cases where churches and other
consumers in the range of three phase consumers (R2T) and D1TI
consumers are made to face total disconnection by violent EEDC
disconnction staff; accompanied by hired soldiers, police or navy
personnel. For instance, in Ogbaru LGA, churches were disconnected
in September and October 2017 for “making under payments”. Newly
constructed residential buildings are also left out as they are
heavily extorted or forced to pay heavily before being connected
with electricity supply from EEDC. Instances are too many to
mention.
Cases also abound where single phase residential consumers are
issued with monthly estimated bills of as much as N170, 000 to
N190, 000 per month for each of the consumers. When such are
reported to relevant EEDC personnel and offices such as
Marketing, Operation and Billing Managers, the affected
consumers are told that “they have no case” and should go and pay
the entire bills. For instance, a single phase residential consumer
residing in a 3-bedroom apartment, located at No. 8 Abazuonu
Street, Iyiowa Layout in the Ogbaru Business District was issued
with N173, 034.79 as his November 2017 monthly bill consumed in
October. His post paid meter number is 94000555 and account
number-52/24/23/1275-01. The referenced consumer also has
“accumulated bills” of N84, 652.028 arising from previously imposed
outrageous estimated monthly bills.
Another single phase consumer occupying a 3-bedroom flat at No 8
Isunjaba Street, Iyiowa Layout with post paid number 0325000376 and
account number 52/24/03/2816-01 was given estimated bill of N192,
567.09 for month of November 2017 for “energy consumed in
October”. He has arrears of N10, 048.44 and had paid a total
of N32, 000 in the past eight months. The two affected consumers
had met the Ogbaru EEDC billing, operation and marketing
managers for the error to be corrected; only to be worked out
of their offices and given a matching order to “go and pay all the
current charges”. Instances are too many to mention.
Owing to reckless issuance of outrageous estimated bills by EEDC
especially to single phase residential consumers; billions, if not
tens of billions of worth of “accumulated bills” abound in the
Southeast. In many, if not most single phase residences and their
residents, EEDC’s monthly estimated bills have become much higher
than monthly house rents. For instance, the N173, 034.79 and N192,
567.09 issued to the two referenced consumers above as “November
2017 monthly bill” is more than one year house rent of a 3-bedroom
apartment and its occupant in Iyiowa Layout, Ogbaru LGA of Anambra
State; which goes for N150, 000 to N180, 000 per annum.
It is also an act of impossibility for a consumer resident that
owes arrears of his or her N13, 000 to N15, 000 monthly house rent
or less to be asked to pay N10, 000 to N15, 000 monthly as
electricity bill. As a matter of fact, all the unmetered (prepaid)
single phase, three phase (R2T) and D1TI consumers in the Southeast
have over paid EEDC since 2012. That is to say that all the
“accumulated bills” being lumped monthly by EEDC and demanded as
“unpaid arrears owed” are untenable and non-payable. EEDC also
maintains fraudulent dual tariffs for its single phase consumers
whereby some are issued N30.93k per unit while others get N34.28k.
This is a clear breach of Federal Government and NERC uniformed
pricing policy for electricity consumers in Nigeria.
Daily power supply ratio or average in the Southeast is also
acutely abysmal with urban cities getting less than five hours per
day and rural communities less than four hours per day. In other
social climes in Africa and other developing countries, power
supply hits national and sub national daily average of 22hrs.
Cases abound also whereby community of single phase residential
consumers that undertook the task of procuring and installing
distribution transformers or installing such given to them by
politicians using EEDC certified private electricity engineers; are
stopped by EEDC from having their newly installed transformers
activated or energized unless “they liquidate or pay 50% of
accumulated arrears in the bills”; arising from EEDC’s outrageous
estimated billing system, running into millions of naira in each
street, if not per residential building.
For instance, in Ogbaru Business District in Anambra State,
headed by Engineer Obi Ughasoro; the single phase residential
consumers of Nwoke Street by School Lane and Nwachukwu Lane by
Acha Street, located at Iyiowa Layout were bluntly told by the
Ogbaru Network Manager, Engineer Obi Ughasoro to “pay 50% of all
their arrears” before their newly installed transformers; already
profiled and possessed by EEDC could be activated or energized. The
two transformers were given to them by Senator Stella Oduah and
Princess Chinwe Nwaebili respectively in 2016 and January 2017.
They have remained in total blackout or acute load shedding for
more than one year.
In all, the social consequences of the criminal
activities and other forms of lawlessness of EEDC in the Southeast
especially among the People of the Zone are incalculable and
inestimable. Apart from acute retardation of the growth of
industries and other forms of economic growth and development in
the Zone; generated social inconveniences have risen to an apogee.
Infant and maternal mortality and diseases have gone viral;
likewise airborne and water borne diseases and deteriorating
insanitary conditions. Owing to the same power epilepsy or acute
shortage, if not total blackout; mosquito bites have increased
especially in this period of scorching heats. The sick, the old,
the heavily pregnant women, the newborn, the infants, etc have all
borne the brunt of EEDC’s criminality, recklessness and
lawlessness.
Criminal Syndicate Now Removes & Destroys Received
Public Letters At EEDC & NERC
It is further recalled that Intersociety had written several
letters to Ogbaru and Enugu headquarters of EEDC in early 2015. In
the said letter, complaints concerning issues highlighted above
were raised. But Intersociety’s letter was ignored, forcing same to
take recourse to NERC headquarters in Abuja via a letter, dated
10th November 2015, after further efforts to get the
Southeast Area office of NERC to intervene and call EEDC to order
failed woefully.
To the greatest shock and surprise of Intersociety, its letter
to NERC was removed by EEDC’s oiled criminal syndicate from where
it was documented for attention. It took the organization more time
and resources to send a team to NERC headquarters for its
replacement and effect associated processes; leading to the visit
of NERC team to Ogbaru in mid 2016. The visit resulted to a meeting
between Intersociety, Iyiowa Layout Electricity Consumers’ Forum
and representatives of NERC, Abuja and its Southeast Zone; EEDC,
Enugu; EEDC, Ogbaru; and EEDC Onitsha; which took place on
25th May 2016.
Present in the meeting were: Engineer Obi Ughasoro for Ogbaru
Business District, Bonaventure Emeachi (Onitsha Business District),
Agu Eucharia (EEDC Ogbaru), Ugwuegbu F.C. (EEDC Ogbaru), Agbo
Celestine O. (EEDC Ogbaru), Okoye Emma Chukwudi (EEDC Ogbaru),
Segum M. (EEDC Ogbaru), Engr. Onyebuchi Okechi (NERC
Owerri/Southeast), Engr. A.I. Yusuf (NERC Abuja), Ogunchebe Ijeoma
(EEDC Enugu headquarters), Engr. Ozonweke (EEDC GRA/Onitsha), Emeka
Umeagbalasi (for Intersociety/rights groups) and the elected
executives of the Abazuonu/Ihitenasaa Residents Electricity Users’
Forum led by its chairman, Reverend Elisha Umeh.
In the said meeting, agreements were reached including need for
improved power supply, NERC’s directive to EEDC to provide prepaid
meters to all its consumers especially its single phase, three
phase (R2T) and D1TI consumers, sticking to NERC recommended
billing methods for unmetered consumers and those with faulty post
paid meters, issuance of adequate notice before disconnection and
non-disconnection of the entire building for default of few as well
as discontinuation of shouldering of responsibility by community of
consumers in the area of procurement and installation of
transformers and maintenance of ailing ones, etc.
Months later, all the agreements reached were flouted by EEDC
including the Ogbaru, Onitsha and Ogidi Business Districts and
their Network Managers; forcing Intersociety to write the Ogbaru
Network Manager on 31st January 2017, reminding him of
his District’s dishonouring of all the agreements reached in the
25th of May 2016 meeting at St James Outstation Catholic
Church in Iyiowa Layout. His poor response to same led to
another letter from Intersociety to the CEO of EEDC, dated
28th March 2017. The letter was taken straight to Enugu
and submitted by one of the lawyers working for Intersociety; with
an acknowledgement copy fully stamped. Months later, and on
enquiry, the letter was declared missing at EEDC Enugu headquarters
where it was filed for attention.
We later found that the same criminal syndicate procured by the
accused including the Ogbaru Business District and its Network
Manager had possibly removed and destroyed same. A copy of the
acknowledgement letter, duly received and stamped by Enugu EEDC
CEO; with affidavit of facts, deposed before the High Court of
Onitsha by a leading victim of EEDC’s criminality and other forms
of lawlessness- Emeka Umeagbalasi; is hereby attached.
We hereby seek for the rescue of the People of Southeast Nigeria
from chronic bondage, oppressive and criminal conducts of EEDC by
calling on your public offices especially the authorities of Abuja
NERC and Federal Ministry of Power el al, to thoroughly investigate
the EEDC especially in the area of sharp practices highlighted
above. EEDC’s recklessness, criminality and lawlessness in the
Southeast via its personnel and within the context of vicarious
liability; must no longer be allowed to rear its ugly head in the
Southeast and among the People of the Zone.
Such thorough investigation under demand, should focus on the
following monumental failures of EEDC to: (a) distribute and
market electricity and collect monthly lawful bills, (b) meter via
prepaid metering policy of the Federal Government; all is single
phase residential customers, three phase customers (R2T), D1TI
customers and maximum demand or industrial customers, (c) stick to
NERC issued tariff pricing of N30.93k per unit and strictly apply
NERC recommended billing method for non-metered single phase
residential consumers; by using monthly average consumption units
consumed by those with functional meters (i.e. 50 units multiply by
N30.93K).
Others are its failure: (d) not to disconnect unmetered
customers that pay reasonable part payment of their estimated
monthly bills and issue appropriate notice before disconnecting
them, (e) not to carry out mass disconnection by severing feeder
lines or disconnecting the entire transformer or residential
building; to avoid unlawfully punishing those that have paid as
appropriate, (f) failure to issue appropriate disconnection notice
and disconnect only the defaulting consumers, (g) failure to
provide un-tempered and NERC certified prepaid meters to all
consumers in Southeast Nigeria (note: EEDC says it has not metered
over 700,000 single phase residences in Southeast
Nigeria).
The rest of EEDC monumental failures; requiring thorough
investigation and appropriate sanctions are: (h) failure to
effect adequate provision and installation of distribution
transformers, specifically for consumers who are in need and
generally for the purpose of ensuring distribution expansion and
efficiency, (i) non-provision of power distribution network
accessories including transformer accessories and feeder lines’
spares, (j) failure to ensure round-the-clock maintenance of
distribution transformers and distribution feeder lines, and (k)
failure to disallow consumers in their groups or in individual to
bear the brunt or cost of procuring, installing and maintaining
distribution transformers. Etc. The Company’s seemingly fraudulent
use of dual tariff of N30.93k and N34.28k for its single phase
residential consumers should also be investigated.
Apart from our collective demand for thorough investigation into
the above criminal conducts of EEDC and its personnel, we also
collectively seek for total reversal of same and meting out of
appropriate sanctions against the Company including total review of
operating license issued to same by the Federal Government in 2012.
EEDC should thoroughly be evaluated especially in the area of its
inputs into power distribution in Southeast since 2012.
That is to say: how many distribution transformers have the
Company procured and installed on its own since 2012 and their
locations in the Southeast? How many of same provided or procured
and installed by States Governments, politicians and consumers have
EEDC profiled and cornered or possessed in the Southeast since
2012?
How many single phase residential, three phase
(R2T), D1TI and maximum demand or industrial consumers have the
Company provided with prepaid meters since 2012 in the Zone
especially in Anambra’s six Districts of Ogbaru, Onitsha, Ogidi,
Awka, Nnewi and Ekwulobia? How many containers’ load of power
distribution accessories including transformer oil, fuses, armoured
cables, feeder wires/cables, transformer panels and units, etc; are
presently stocked by EEDC for round-the-clock maintenance of its
existing distribution transformers?
It is also our collective demand that EEDC should be firmly and
swiftly directed to write off and clear from its data system all
accumulated bills arising from criminally and obnoxiously imposed
estimated bills on its unmetered consumers and those with faulty
post paid meters. Such accumulated bills; which the Company claims
to be in tens of billions of naira in the Southeast; do not exist.
This is because unmetered consumers in the Zone have extensively
over-paid EEDC since 2012. In other words, it is EEDC that owes its
unmetered consumers; not the other way.
The authorities of NERC and the Federal Ministry of Power el al
are further called upon to strongly direct EEDC to issue a fixed
monthly tariff of 50 units or N1, 600 to all its single phase
consumers in rural areas and 80 units or N2, 400 to their urban
cities’ counterparts; using national approved tariff of N30.93k;
pending when the Company is able to make prepaid meters available
to all its consumers in the Southeast Zone.
For unmetered three-phase (R2T) and D1TI consumers, 150 and 200
units or N4500 and N6000, respectively, should be given to them
across board. The EEDC’s criminal policy of indiscriminate
allocation of outrageous and obnoxious tariff units, ranging from
350 units to 1000 units especially to each of the single phase
residential consumers must no longer be allowed by your public
offices.
The Company’s lawless practice of disconnecting consumers en
masse for “making under payments” should be prohibited by your
public offices and it should be directed immediately to restore
power supply to those presently plunged into total darkness in the
whole or part of Southeast Nigeria. EEDC should also be directed to
provide prepaid meters to all categories of its consumers in
Southeast and such prepaid meters should be supervised and
certified by NERC and the Federal Ministry of Power el al.
The sharp practices of the Network Managers of EEDC in the
Southeast Zone and their personnel especially those of Ogbaru
Business District-Engineer Obi Ughasoro (+2348036315033), Onitsha
Business District-Engineer Ozor Nweke and Ogidi Business or Network
District-Engineer Chris Ezeoha; as highlighted above, should also
be thoroughly investigated; with appropriate sanctions recommended
against them to their mother headquarters (Enugu EEDC).
Investigation being demanded from NERC must not be delegated to
its Southeast Zonal Office, but should be directly handled by the
Abuja headquarters of the Commission. We also call on the Senate
and House Committees on Power el al to investigate the complaints
raised in this letter; as part of their legislative oversight
duties.
Signed:
For: Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of
Law (Intersociety)
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Barr Obianuju Igboeli
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Program
Email: igboeliobianuju@gmail.com
Barr Chinwe Umeche
Head, Democracy & Good Governance
Program
Email: chinwe.englewood@gmail.com
For: Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights
Organizations (SBCHROs)
Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah
Mobile Line: +2348035090548
Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, Southeast Zone
(Southeast CLO)
Jerry Chukwuokoro, PhD
International Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights
Initiative (ISPHRI)
Mobile Line: +2348035372962
Comrade Vincent Ezekwume
Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra State
Branch (Anambra CLO)
Mobile Line: +2348171793911
Comrade Nelson Nnana Nwafor
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy &
Development (FENRAD-Nigeria)
Mobile Line: +2348033383708