By Sade Adewale
Residents of Akure, the Ondo State capital, have expressed outrage over what they describe as a secret and unbearable electricity tariff hike allegedly introduced by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), effective from October 1, 2025.
The development, which customers claim was implemented without prior notice or official communication, has left many households and businesses in shock, as power units purchased for the same amount of money have drastically reduced.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the hardest-hit areas include Alagbaka GRA, Ijapo Estate, and Ijapo Extension, where residents are lamenting the sharp and unexplained drop in the value of electricity units loaded on their prepaid metres.
One of the affected customers, Mr. Michael Ogunduyi , said he could not believe his eyes when he recharged recently.
“I used to buy N100,000 worth of electricity and get thousands of units. But when I purchased the same amount a few days ago, I only received about 300 units. It’s totally unacceptable and will put even more pressure on the already overstretched Nigerian masses,” he said.
Another resident, Mrs. Doris Akinlabi , described how her household has been thrown into discomfort due to the drastic reduction.
“The N10,000 I used to spend gave me over 164 units before, but now I only got about 44 units. To make matters worse, those 44 units were exhausted within a week like a flash of lightning,” she lamented.
An electricity vending agent, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, confirmed that customers have been confronting him over the unexplained reduction in power units.
“Customers have been giving me a tough time since the beginning of the month. Previously, N5,000 gave over 100 units, which later reduced to about 81. Now, they’re receiving only around 22 units for the same N5,000. It’s really bad,” he said.
He added that the hike caught everyone unawares and called on the Ondo State Government to intervene urgently to prevent further hardship.
“The government must step in and do something to ensure a reversal of this obnoxious increment,” he pleaded.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain a response from BEDC officials were unsuccessful, as no senior staff at the company’s Akure office volunteered to speak on the matter.
Meanwhile, consumer rights advocates and civil society groups in the state are said to be mobilising to petition the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for an immediate investigation and reversal of the tariff increase, which they described as exploitative and anti-people.