By Ijendu Iheaka
Aba, April 19, 202
Joint Action Group (JAG) on Power, Aba, Abia, has accused Aba Power Limited’s (APL) of deliberate power cuts planned to continue shortchanging customers through poor supply and forced payment of huge, estimated bills.
The Secretary of JAG, Mr. Ike Opigwe disclosed this on Wednesday in Aba during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Opigwe, reacting to Aba residents’ complaints against the energy company said information from Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc showed that APL is under-buying and under-supplying power to increase its profit.
He said Aba’s current epileptic power supply is deliberate and lawless, being the outcome of APL’s inordinate decision to extort customers.
“Electricity sector has four segments and value chains including Generation Company of Nigeria (GenCos) that generate the electricity we use, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc.
“NBET is the manager and administrator of the electricity pool (‘The Pool’) in the Nigerian electricity supply industry (NESI).
“NBET buys energy with taxpayers’ money and sometimes gives it to the DisCos on credit for them to give you and collect the money based on the NERC regulations.
“We equally have the Distribution Companies (DisCos) which are currently 12 in number today.
“You as a Nigerian and a customer has 40% equity in the distribution aspect because government bought NBET shares with taxpayers money.
“That’s why electricity is called Social Commodity. It is not the Disco’s property entirely”, he said.
Opigwe, quoting records said NBET has more than 100 MW available for purchase and distribution to Aba customers but APL chose to cut their supply.
He further said that APL deliberately chose to buy 25 MW in order to spend less and get bigger amounts of money through estimated billing.
He also alleged that APL’s refusal to give people meters is planned to continue extorting them through estimated billings that don’t correspond with regulations.
Opigwe said that the company is massively disconnecting customers in Aba without recourse to electricity regulations which is punishable by law because of residents’ ignorance.
The Marketing Manager, APL, Mr. Jude Efidi, while responding to the allegations, however, said the APL’s power supply cuts are not caused by APL buying 25 MW but by NBET that is cutting APL’s supply.
“It is the supplier that is cutting our supply just the way our company go ahead to disconnect customers who owe it or do load-shedding sometimes.
“We had no choice. Of course it will impact our service to customers”, he said.
He said he had not seen any electricity regulation prescribing three Months and 10 days’ notice to be conveyed in writing to customers before disconnection.
He said that their power suppliers supply them and then demand money at the end of the month from them hence the need for customers to pay up early.
“Yes, we pay NERC. If we pay this organization that we buy bulk electricity from and also pay NERC, then how come that somebody is coming from the moon to tell us that we must allow for three months before disconnecting any customer?”, he asked.
Efidi said since the takeover of the Aba Ring-Fenced Area consisting of nine local government areas in Abia by APL, they have been issuing prepaid meters.
He said that currently, APL is about entering the Mass Metering Phase of their prepaid meter issuance.
He, however said that Aba Customers were owing APL billions of Naira which they needed to use to fund their metering project which is cost-intensive.
“We have given customers supply on credit and yet they are not paying us and everybody is crying, give us meter, give us meter. Is it not funds that we will use to acquire meters?”, he asked.
The APL Marketing Manager said further that APL has already started planning to use a Feeder called Ehi Feeder inside Ehi Road Market as pilot project for mass metering of Aba by zones.
“We are metering everywhere there, and we started by putting meters on the transformers.
“That is the first step. We have certified the ones metered and after that we will give everyone meters and then begin to pump electricity”, he said
