hardball
On the September estimated bills, the creative billing accountants of Ikeja Electric (IE) have gone well and truly ga-ga!
But since no one has a monopoly of madness, one of the crazily billed communities, the Okota Residents Association (ORA Zone A) are threatening drastic customer revolt. They have told their unmetered members not to pay a dime until ORA got back to IE.
Are we then near to mass #ENDIE protests, similar to the on-going #ENDSARS? Time will tell!
Meanwhile, at almost the same time IE was dropping its September wonder-bill, a section of the ORA Zone A community, Abayomi Adewale Street, was plunged into permanent darkness.
Since the night of Saturday October 10, the street and surroundings, sharing same local transformer, have endured a total blackout. It’s anyone’s guess, when that local fault would be fixed. Again, typical IE: fast to bill, slow to work!
But back to the billing uproar, feel the direct ire of a customer, on ORA’s Unmetered Residents Association WhatsApp platform: “Good morning, neighbours!!! I woke up this morning to this outrageous bill and I wish to post in on the platform for the neighbours who are affected to discuss, and know how to handle this extortion (N51, 722. 23 Kobo for a two-bedroom flat!)”.
Still, after perusing the bill, the actual “amount due” for September was N34, 724. 31. The added “previous balance” of N14, 494.23 must have been voodoo bills, disputed by customers but which IE continues to roll over in its books.
The breakdown of another customer’s case, with bill number 0100218678, is rather instructive. He was slapped with “current charges” for September: N35, 584. 71 (almost double the N18, 255. 87 for August). But after adding a so-called “previous balance” — again, past disputed bill for the supply of darkness — the magic accountants zoomed in with a cumulative N53, 746 as September due.
How IE came about these figures is hard to fathom, given the clear Federal Government instruction, as part of agreements struck to suspend the Labour strike, that the new billing system be suspected for two weeks.
After that, there was another government concession to pick part of the new bill for three months, to the tune of N10.20k/KW, for three months. So, with all of these, how come IE’s bill will jump from N18, 255. 87 in August to N35, 584.71, for September? Are IE’s accountants far too gone in their reckless bill-cooking they don’t bloody care if their DisCo now appears an unfazed outlaw?
In any case, the ORA Zone A community would have no such rascality. It told its members: “Good morning all. We have made a definite statement that we reject the bill and cannot pay. Already, we have engaged the services of a lawyer, to put our demands on paper; and this will be communicated to the committee set up by government on this matter and also to IE and NERC.
“Our grouse is not even the increase in tariff but the allocated consumption which is outrageous and not acceptable. Failure to address the issue, we will take a legal action to defend our residents.”
Interesting clash ahead, as IE readies its disconnection gang, flashing October 18 as its disconnection deadline!
Bottom line: the Federal Government must ensure the metering of ALL consumers, if this new tariff increase is not to lead to a fresh blow-out!
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