- Says he was billed N500,000 even while disconnected and off-grid
- Asks NERC to look into the matter
By Gboyega Alaka
For now, it is a deadlock between citizen Jamiu Mobolaji Jimoh, an electricity consumer, and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), his supplier. While Mobolaji is insisting that a proper assessment of his consumption rate and a reconciliation across the past two to three years be done, Ikeja DISCO, under which his 2-bedroom apartment, one of the several situated in number 22, Boyle Street, Shomolu, seems not to be perturbed, even bringing him humongous bills a full twelve months after he had been disconnected from the national grid.
The problem, according to Jimoh, started around 2018/2019, when the distribution company suddenly started bringing him bills of up to N30,000, for which he and other tenants in the building complained. As a responsible customer, Jimoh said he continued paying N5000 every month to fulfil all righteousness, while calling on the distribution company staff to come and do proper assessment of the appliances in his apartment and do a reconciliation. According to him, it took them sometime, but when they eventually came, he was away executing some contracts, which put him at a disadvantage, because while other apartments in his building g were assessed and their bills reviewed downward to N5,000 and about, his was never reviewed.
Narrated an irate Jimoh who walked into our corporate head-office on Fatai Atere way, Mushin, visibly perturbed, “They used to bring bills of N5,000 and about, but suddenly it jumped to N20,000 and N30,000; and it’s not as if my consumption increased or I increased the appliances in my apartment. I made several correspondences with them, telling them the apartment was peopled by just me and my son, who was often away at school, while I was at work. To make matters worse, there usually wasn’t light in my apartment whenever I came back in the evening. Bare it in mind too that they didn’t increase their tariff at about the time we’re talking about. What then was the justification for the sudden rise in the bills? For about a year during this period, I was away in Abeokuta to execute a job with nobody in the apartment, yet they kept bringing bills.
“When they came to review and adjust the bills of other co-tenants and started giving them N5,000 bills, I was not around, so they kept bringing me same humongous bills of N30,000, N35,000…. I called the marketer to express my grouse, she said she was coming but never showed up. At the end of the day, I was paying what I could afford, which was N5,000, same as most other apartments in my building.
“When the issue of pre-paid meter came up, they said we should do mapping, which I did in October 2019 and I was approved. Then they called other tenants but didn’t invite me. I wrote them a letter complaining about my predicament and implored them to look into my billing matter and do the necessary adjustment, so that I can pay and continue enjoying their services. They responded and said they saw my mail and that there was an error in the account number, which I corrected. I had written 1010 but later corrected it to 0101. They responded, saying their bills were correct. But I told them it could not be correct, that they were excessive. I also told them that putting me on commercial was an error in the first place because it’s a private apartment. Eventually, they gave me credit adjustment of about one hundred thousand, out of a total bill of N600,000. I told them it was still grossly inadequate and that they needed to come and physically assess my apartment like they did my co-tenants.
“When the issue came up on August 27, 2020, I told them there was no point and that they could as well disconnect me, which they did. My thought was that this would make them come over to do the needful, but nothing happened.”
The irony of the matter according to Jamiu was the fact that IKEDC kept bringing him outrageous bills even after he was disconnected.
“I was disconnected in August 2020, but they kept billing me for power not consumed. I continued writing to them and in May 2021, they wrote back to my lawyer, acknowledging that I had indeed been off the national grid for almost a year. But that did not deter them from further bringing me crazy bills
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“My bill was a little over N500,000, when I was disconnected in August 2020, which I was contending, but as we speak, would you believe that it has risen to N1,049,77.76. At a point, they gave me an adjustment credit of about N100,000, but it did not reflect in the subsequent bills. In June 2021, a month after they wrote acknowledging that I was off the national grid, they sent me a bill of N70,000, while in July 2012, they sent me another, N89,000. Honestly, the whole thing smacks of a disorganised system. Even if I was to pay the bill before the disconnection, what happens to the about half a million that has been added for power not consumed?”
Diverted meter
Due to the deadlock, Jamiu said he kept inundating IKEDC for a pre-paid meter as a way out of the problem and one day it appeared his problem had been solved.
“My landlady called one day to inform me that they had allocated a metre to me and that they were coming to install it for me. I was excited and even went to buy cables, since the one I was using had been used by other tenants when they brought them their pre-paid meters. While I was waiting, a lady called to say they said I had rejected the meter. I was outraged and asked who? I told her nobody spoke to me. Later, she called and said I should wait. I waited and kept calling every hour. At a point, she said I should call the next day. I did, and then she said I should call in the evening. Her name is Yemisi Onikoyi.
“I never heard anything about the meter again. Clearly, it had been diverted.”
Face-off with landlady
According to Jamiu, the problem has now reached another level, as his landlady is vehemently against his plan to relocate from the apartment, insisting he has to pay up the accumulated bill.
“I told my landlady I wanted to move, but she wasn’t comfortable with it and started raising issues. She wanted to know what would happen to the accumulated bills. I told her, ‘Look, I have complained and I’m still at it, and you are a witness to all that has transpired, including how they diverted the metre they said had been allocated to me. But she was adamant, even going as far as complaining about me to co-tenants. I told her I was ready to write an undertaking that anytime they do proper assessment and reconciliation, I would pay. But she was adamant and went as far as reporting me to her lawyer, who later invited me to a meeting where she and two of her children were in attendance. In fact the lawyer was initially screaming at me over the phone and insisting that I paid the outstanding bill before moving out, and at a point had to tell him that he wasn’t going about it professionally. I told him at best he could sue me to court, and I would go and defend myself. I insisted I would not be intimidated. In the end, we reconciled. Their fear was that they won’t be able to let out the apartment if I didn’t pay up; but I told them that is not true, because even the IKEDC officials were already aware and would not confuse me with any new tenant. I said it was already established that I am the one using the meter even though it was registered under the landlady’s name.
Grouse
Asked if he was willing to pay up to that August 2020 bill when he was disconnected, Jamiu said, “Yes, but they must reconcile and do proper readjustment. There is no way I could have been using N30,000 a month when my co-tenants were paying N5,000. That in itself showed clear abnormality and incongruity. What was the tariff rate in 2018/2019, when they were generating those huge sums for me?”
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