By Fatima Muraina
Sade Adewale,
Jimoh Ahmed,
Babatunde Ayedoju
& Adedotun Aderoboye

Residents of villages and new communities in Ondo State are in agony due to the huge bills slammed on them by Benin City Electricity Distribution Company due to lack of prepaid metres.
Investigation by The Hope revealed that the affected communities are paying huge bills following the introduction of bulk metres, security deposit which have put the residents at the mercy of BEDC officials.
The bulk meter is used by all residents in the community who pay between N6,000 to N8,000 each monthly.
Besides, each house in the community is also levied N12,000 for what BEDC called security deposit, either there is electricity supply or not.
Some of the affected communities include Omu, Aba-Lisa, Aba-Oyo, Graceland Estate, Ita-Oniyan , all in Akure.
In Oda town, the communities include new Board road, Victory Zone and Messiah Estate. In Ijoka axis, they include Ole Iya, Oke Obere, Igisogba, Apatioro and Alafiatayo. In Ondo township, all communities along Laje road are involved.
A landlord in one of the communities, Mr Olalusi Oni, who hinted our correspondent said: “BEDC refused to supply prepaid meters to our community, but gave us bulk meter in other to continue to exploit us.
“All residents contribute N6000 monthly, sometimes amounting to over a million naira which is used to load the bulk meter. Sometimes, it doesn’t last more than two to three weeks.
Later, BEDC introduced the security deposit. For my community, they levied us N4,044,630. We asked them how they arrived at that bill, they are yet to provide answer, he added.
These sufferings according to the consumers apart from epileptic power supply was as a result of unavailability of pre-paid meters resulting in high estimated billings.
According to them, it has always been a story of toiling hard and getting nothing for it.
Speaking with The Hope, chairman, Olaniyan Street, Ondo town, Omoyele Adediwura, said that consumers who paid for pre-paid meters had waited for so long, adding that BEDC officials need to expedite action on this.
Adediwura therefore urged BEDC to come out specifically to state when the pre-paid will be ready for installation.
Also speaking, a food stuff seller, Mr Andrew Adelekan, said that he had paid for pre-paid meter for months, but was yet to get it installed, because of that his home had been receiving high bills.
He said in the last six months, there has been inexplicable bills, yet no regular electricity supply to prove that we used such an amount.
“We used to receive N2,000 and N2,500 bills before, but for the past six months, it is now hovering between N3,500 to N4,000.
“We still pay the same amount when there is no regular light. This is unfair,” Adelekan said.
“I have been making inquiries about the unavailability of pre-paid; some people say is in their office, but give to those that pay extra charges, while others say that there no pre-paid.
“We don’t know the one that is true, but what I gathered is that the meters are not available for now.”
Another resident of Ondo town who simply identified himself as Odunayo said officials of BEDC in the town were using the opportunity of the lack of prepaid meters in the community to exploit the people by distributing outrageous bills which do not commensurate with power used as well as collecting money from people for the facilitation of prepaid meters that they never get.
Speaking, Mrs Dorcas Olayiwonuola said the BEDC officials introduced to them this pre-paid meters and collected N2,000 for installation, yet it was not given to us despite various announcements that the metres are available that and it will be installed in two weeks.
Olayiwonuola alleged that some of their officials were deliberately hoarding the meters in order to continue placing customers on estimated bills.
According to her, the installation of pre-paid meters is the only way to stop outrageous billing system in the kingdom.
Paul Babatunde, a resident of Ijoka said BEDC official deliberately denied them of prepaid meters to exploit them.
“We don’t have prepaid metre. We tried getting one from the company but they said they weren’t giving metre at that time to small houses, but big houses. That was what the customer care representative at their office said.
“The experience has been very worrisome. Currently, these people bring bills that range from N6,000 to N15,000. We only use about 10 to 13 bulbs, one led TV with one decoder. Some times we iron clothes and sometimes we don’t. We also charge our phones and one laptop.
As I speak to you, there is a bill of over N300,000 on the metre. We tried getting metre, they are not giving us. They come around and harrass people. If we are recharging N2,000 in a month, I am very sure with the erratic power supply we won’t be able to finish that unit.
Speaking with The Hope, an electricity consumer, Babajide Ojo, house owner at Agbaluku Arigidi-Akoko said despite the fact that he he pays a high amount to the electricity distribution company every month, he never got the opportunity to use his household electronic appliances as BEDC never supply electricity regularly.
Babajide said this has forced him to look elsewhere by looking for alternative from solar energy vendors who also charges him N5,000 monthly.
Another consumer, Mr Ogunwale Ajidele said despite the fact that he has not failed to pay his bills, he has been relying on diesel generator for his business.
Ogunwale, a welder, said seldomly will BEDC supply electricity in his area at Idashen, Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government and whenever it does, it is usually too low to power his machines.
The artisan said he has applied to BEDC for a pre-paid meter’ but all to no avail.
He disclosed that his desperation to secure the pre-paid meter’ has led to him being duped.
A fish monger and a cold room operator, Mrs Sunmisola Ajetunmobi disclosed that she has lost several thousands of naira due to inability of BEDC to supply her cold room with power.
According to her, despite being given cutthroat electricity bill every month, she still use diesel to power her cold room, which she said is an additional expenses.
Responding, Public Relations Officer of BEDC, Mike Banabas said payment of security deposit for prepaid meters is illegal, saying that any officials of the distribution company demanding for such has committed a crime.
He said security deposit is only demanded where new transformer is to be installed noted that the security deposit will be used to pay for the bill of the depositors if they fail to pay.
Banabas said the security deposit is refundable if the depositors do not default in payment of their bill.
On the issue of over-billings, the BEDC spokesman said it is a common occurrence where the electricity consumers do not have meters because he said they have to pay for what they consumed.