How Oyebanji broke the shackles of outrageous electricity tariffs

IN time past, Ekiti State was confronted by multidimensional crises regarding electricity supply and payable tariffs. Most pathetic was how some communities were painfully locked down in perpetual power outage, while those being scantily and haphazardly supplied faced the excruciating burden of estimated billings, thereby making lives unbearable and harrowing . 

The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun  Oyebanji, is one leader in the ilk of the former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. He always sees opportunity in every difficulty. Even when they exist, he fashions ways to get them resolved.

As this cacophony of challenges rear their heads, Governor Oyebanji as a pro-masses leader, was moved by the cries and wailings of those entangled in this intricate web. Having carefully studied the situation he took the bull by the horns and reversed the sordid trends in a manner that brought reprieve for the people without obstructing business interests of electricity distributing companies. 

Globally, power supply is the pivot on which the economy rotates. It is the power house and anchor on which the economic survival is tied. But what ought to be a gain turns out to be a pain for the users with the outrageous tariffs being charged. Under this context, the governor acted quickly and applied the soothing balm on the pangs to ease the heavy burden being undeservedly shouldered by the citizens.

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After two years of ascension, Governor Oyebanji  had reconnected 41 communities back to the national grid. This, the Governor accomplished through uncanny performance streak and partnership. Some of these towns are now having their hitherto moribund local economies  kicking and more rejuvenated. 

Interestingly, Ekiti people are now basking in euphoria of the success recorded by the governor in dismantling the agonising burden of estimated billing. This, he did, by facilitating the distribution of 5,267 prepaid meters to some households across the 16 local governments. 

The distribution depicted that Ado Ekiti received 2,435, Aisegba, 646, Erinmope, 346, Ipole Iloro, 108, among other towns. In fact, the scope of distribution was democratic and inclusive to the effect that towns in remotest side,  also benefited. As we all know that inclusivity is a  popular mantra of this administration.

By every standard of measurement, this accomplishment was not by happenstance. It was a product of deft and ingenious political and administrative planning that are yielding bountiful fruits. 

About a year ago, Governor Oyebanji established the Ekiti State Electricity  Regulatory Bureau. This was a domestication of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. The existence of this agency broke the mandate of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company to solely determine the electricity monthly tariffs. 

Periscoping the scenario through another prism, it also conferred unfettered statutory powers on the state to distribute electricity accessories to towns and individuals. That was how the governor was able to wriggle  Ekiti out of the dungeon of estimated billing. 

The governor didn’t just break the convoluted shackles that make possession unattainable and herculean, he made the procurement much easier and affordable. 

Before now, there were so many curves and bottlenecks that inhibited the landlords. And you have to pay a throat-cutting price of about N200,000 before accession. The one facilitated by government only cost a sum of N120,000, because it was substantially  subsidised.

There were years in the past when the landlords became restive over these issues. The visibly riled landlords had to voice out their disenchantment against this  outrageous and brazen cheating in the system. 

On April 18, 2018, landlords and ladies resident in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, staged a protest against the BEDC over what they termed ‘over-billing’.

The protesters, who operated under the auspices of Ado Ekiti Landlords and Ladies Electricity Consumers’ Association of Nigeria (ALLECA), frontally accused the company of demanding a sum of N100,000 from them before providing prepaid meters. They described the action as tantamount to fraud and extortion.

The enraged and placard  wielding landlords, led by the Chairman of the Association, Dr. Ibukun Ogundipe, were restive to the extent that it warranted  massive deployment of police, men of the Department of State Services(DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC). This was  to forestall hooligans from hijacking the protest.

Dr Ogundipe demanded that electricity consumers across Ekiti should be provided with pre-paid meters to ensure accurate billing. He said it was wrong in the face of common sense for BEDC to be giving between N13,000 and N18,000 to a three-bedroom bungalow, when electricity lasts for between two and three hours daily.

Also on August 5, 2020, another protest resurged that shook the state to its foundation. The organised labour staged a protest at the office of the BEDC, urging the company to stop outrageous billing and incessant epileptic power supply.

Addressing the company’s representative, the NLC Chairman, Com Kolapo Olatunde, said: “Ekiti people are tired of paying for darkness, and your estimated billing system should not exceed N3,500 in urban areas and N2,500 in rural areas in the state. There were court judgements that had affirmed these, but BEDC officials didn’t care to abide by it”.

The foregoing sordid scenarios accentuated how beneficial  governor Oyebanji’s gesture was to palliate the sufferings of electricity users. Little wonder, the positive effects have resonated among the cross sections of the society and they are hailing the governor for being proactive in this regard. 

The messages out there were lucid and unambiguous that Governor Oyebanji has  brought goodies to Ekiti residents with this milestone. At every forum, the governor  always  made passionate pledge to free the citizens from this burdensome electricity charges. 

He stressed that the prepaid Meters  was part of the steps taken by the state government towards eliminating the  incorrect charges being experienced by many electricity consumers in Ekiti State.

The governor was emphatic that the move is designed to ensure that electricity consumers in Ado-Ekiti and across the state have adequate access to pre-paid meters, enabling them to pay for the exact power they consume.

He recalled that, recently, residents of communities such as Ijero, Ode, Aisegba, Erinmope, and Ipole-Iloro Ekiti, which were on bulk meters, were taken off the bulk metering/estimated billing system and were given the opportunity to purchase individual pre-paid meters.

“What we are driving at is to ensuring that all the houses in Ekiti are metered. We don’t want our people to be cheated in any way. The Distribution Companies owe it a duty to ensure fairness in their charges and the best way is to meter all our residences. We can’t continue to do things the old ways. 

“Our target is that all houses should be metered and we will continue to provide subsidised meters that can bring about accurate metering of our electricity consumption”.

Like I said earlier, all the sections of Ekiti received the news with ecstasy. The highs and lows branded the action as the most deft and apposite in efforts to exterminate arbitrary tariffs in the system. 

The Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi, commended the Ekiti State government for making Pre- paid meters available to electricity consumers in his kingdom. The Oba stressed that  the installation of the metres would stop outrageous estimated bills being heaved on electricity users.

Oba Alabi expressed optimism that the effort will go a long way  in alleviating the pains of thousands of consumers  in Ilawe-Ekiti and elsewhere groaning under obnoxious estimated  bills.

The therefore set up a two- man committee to attend to inquiries on how more  consumers in Ilawe-Ekiti could obtain the meters easily.

The Chairman of one of the fastest growing satellite towns in Ado Ekiti named Temidire Eminrin Landlord Association, Mr Jacob Babalola, applauded the governor for the gesture. He said the intervention had abated the recurrent confrontations between his people and BEDC officials over monthly billings.

Besides, Babalola  averred that consumers now pay for the exact units of electricity consumed. He said the burden of estimated billing was killing and agonizing. The Chairman saluted the governor for being proactive in saving the people from this age long pains.

“Governor Oyebanji really made us happy. In fact, over 300 landlords benefited from our estate where we have about 1,500 buildings. This is a big plus. We are no longer paying for the light we didn’t consume. In the past, we used to pay for darkness instead of light, but now, we have been bailed out and we appreciate the governor for his love”.

With this enigmatic strides taken by Governor Oyebanji, the shackles of estimated billing is gradually being broken. Electricity users are beginning to breathe a sigh of hope that accurate and commensurate billing is gradually taking a centre stage that will benefit and assuage the sufferings of the consumers.

•Ogunje is Special Assistant (Media) office of the Deputy Governor, Ekiti State