*Single-room tenant gets N9,000 bill

*We’re running at a loss, JEDCo replies

 By Charly Agwam

Bauchi residents have charged the management of Jos Electricity Distribution Company, JEDCo, to improve on its power supply instead of pushing for an increment in tariff.

The electricity consumers made their views known, on Saturday, at a public hearing organised by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, on the proposed tariff increase in Bauchi.

They described plans by JED to increase its tariff without commensurate increase in power supply as unfair.

They wondered why the distribution company planned to increase electricity tariff considering that they get epileptic power supply and estimated billing for people who have no prepaid metres.

A resident of Gwallameji area of Bauchi metropolis, Lawal Ahmad, said that the distribution company should not expect their customers to happy about the increase, when they only get power for two hours in a day.

His words: “How can you effectively deliver good services to your customers when you do not have enough vehicles and other equipment? Sometimes, I pay as high as N7,000 light bill.

“Last month, my neighbour, who lives in a one-room apartment, was billed N9,000. And we only got light for just one day from 11a.m. to 6p.m. How do you expect me to be happy about the increase and want to pay?”

Another electricity consumer, Paul Titus, complained that he sent over 40 messages of complaint to JED, but that none was acknowledged.

He said: “I recently sent over 40 letters of complaint to your organisation, but got zero replies. Honestly, is frustrating. There are instances where residents are charged commercial tariffs, when they should be charged residential tariffs.”

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Jos DisCo reacts

Reacting to some of the complaints raised by the consumers, the Deputy Chief Technical Officer, JEDCo, Engr. John Emeruwa, said the company would critically look at the issues raised with a bid to improve power supply in the state.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Uday Mishra, noted that the electricity tariff review is belated and should have been done over two years ago, adding that the company has been running at a loss, hence the need for the tariff increase.

The electricity company boss said: “We should have done this review over two years ago, but now we are going to review it given the inflation rate, given the investment required and, most importantly, given what we have lost in the industry.

“As you know, it is not all our bills that we get back. So to take care of these issues, tariff has to be reviewed and we have already submitted our plans to our regulator.

“We promise that if tariff increases, the supply situation will certainly improve. I am saying this with a little hesitation because the real challenge in this industry is not that tariff should be increased, but the loss level in the industry.

“If we are billing, say N100 we are getting just N40. Can any business survive where you are pricing something for N100 and you are getting N40?

“That’s the real challenge and it is called commercial losses and this loss has to be controlled.”

Vanguard