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Power: Discos are cheating Nigerians – NUPENG

By on July 4, 2014

Power distribution companies are cheating and short-changing Nigerians by issuing high electricity bills despite erratic supply of electricity, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers has said.

NUPENG said it was worried about the high electricity bills being passed to consumers by the Discos.

The union’s President, Mr. Achese Igwe, in a statement on Wednesday, said the power firms were issuing exorbitant electricity bills to consumers who hardly enjoyed their services.

He said, “The epileptic power supply nationwide by these new companies call for urgent overhaul of the entire system. The Nigerian electricity consumers are being short-changed, cheated and embarrassed with fraudulent bills when there is no electricity.

“These fraudulent bills are putting more hardship, especially on the downtrodden, who cannot even afford three square meals a day, but now have to cough out money for electricity that they don’t get.”

The NUPENG boss stated that the exploitative attitude of the Discos was unjust, oppressive, uncalled for and not in tune with the energy reforms of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Igwe said, “We are disturbed that with the huge money budgeted and expended on power generation and distribution, there is still nothing to write home about, except perpetual darkness in many communities in the nooks and crannies of the country, only to be faced with huge bills.

“NUPENG, therefore, calls on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to be alive to its responsibilities by ensuring that the new electricity distribution companies give our citizens light 24 hours of the day and also ensure that prepaid meters are installed to check arbitrary estimated bills.”

He said it was shameful to note that the NERC was concerned with only increase in tariffs and called on the commission to also enforce better service delivery by the generation and distribution companies.

“The union will join forces with other dissatisfied Nigerians to make sure that these fraudulent bills are stopped because we cannot watch citizens of this country being cheated with no light at high costs,” he added.

 

 

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