By Rotimi Asher Lagos
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has raised the alarm over an astronomical increase in his electricity bill from ₦2.7m in March to a staggering ₦29m in April.
Speaking during a roundtable in Victoria Island on Monday, Hamzat expressed frustration over the billing hike and the utility company’s refusal to install a prepaid meter, despite his payment for one.
The event, which was a collaboration between the Rural Electrification Agency ,REA, and the Lagos State Government, centred on a memorandum of understanding aimed at bringing electricity to underserved rural communities in the state.
Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the gathering, Hamzat criticised the electricity provider for what he described as “crazy billing”. He stressed the need for urgent reforms in the sector.
“People who are trying to survive, and the common denominator for them is power. They don’t have power. There are billing challenges. In fact, I’m a very good example.
“Last month, in my house, or the state house that I live in, the bill was N2.7m last month. This month, Eko DisCo sent us a bill of 29m. I sent it to the Commissioner for Energy. It’s crazy. I actually procured a meter. I bought a meter to say, ’Look, don’t give estimated billing. I bought the meter, but to convert it is wahala”, Hamzat lamented.
He recounted the experience of a consumer in the Coker Aguda area of the state who was billed N2.8m, despite having a rent of only N2m.
“There’s a place called Coker Aguda in Surulere, and people came to me, and I was asking them to calm down. A man’s rent in a year is about N2m; they gave him a bill of N2.8m for electricity. How can the bill be more than the man’s rent for a year? Those are the challenges that we have”, Hamzat stated. “Our people are suffering because of estimated billing”, he added.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, announced that certain communities have been selected to benefit from the agency’s rural electrification programme.
He added that the agency would require approval from the Lagos State Government to construct an 8-megawatt floating solar power plant at the University of Lagos.
