3 more days for SERAP to sue Fashola, Discos over hoarding of prepaid meters
Today, May 25, will make it four days into the prevailing 7-Day Ultimatum handed down to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola to either compel electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to provide Nigerians with free pre-paid meters or face legal action.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), had on Monday, May 22 issued a seven-day ultimatum to Babatunde Fashola, to do the needful or face class action in favour of Nigerians who had been ripped off monthly vide estimated billings by Discos.
Business Hilights learnt that the threat followed widespread complaints by Nigerians of rising electricity charges forced on helpless consumers, who experience more darkness than light, even as the services provided by the DisCos dwindle by the day.
In an open letter, SERAP, urged Fashola to urgently enforce earlier directives to the companies on the provision of free pre-paid meters to Nigerians, and put an end the use of what it termed “illegal and inordinate estimated billing across the country.”
The letter dated May 22, 2017, and signed by Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said “SERAP observed with dismay that while a country like Zambia subsidises electricity payments to enable the socially vulnerable and economically disadvantaged groups have access to power, the Nigerian government, on the contrary, is promoting and increasing consumer costs”.
“The use of estimated billing is marginalising Nigerians living in extreme poverty and a disproportionately increasing number of women, children and the elderly are being discriminated against.
“Excessive billing of customers is arbitrary, unfair, unjust, unreasonable and exploitative of millions of socially and economically vulnerable groups.
“SERAP is concerned that the apparent failure of your office to exercise due diligence and effective regulatory oversight on DisCos to ensure full compliance with your directives to provide free pre-paid meters to Nigerians has denied millions of their customers’ regular and uninterrupted access to electricity.”
According to the Rights group, it is the statutory responsibility of the government and the ministry to ensure that the privatisation of power sector did not impair access of Nigerians to regular and uninterrupted electricity, insisting that Nigerians should not be penalised, disconnection or denied access to electricity because of failure to pay unwarranted estimated bills.
SERAP averred further that “If it is unlawful for DisCos to disconnect electricity supplies on the basis of unpaid estimated bills, this government and your ministry should bear responsibility for the failure and/or refusal of DisCos to provide free pre-paid meters to millions of Nigerians.
“Several years after the country’s power sector was privatised, millions of Nigerian households, particularly the socially and economically vulnerable sectors of the population, continue to complain about outrageous bills for electricity not consumed, and poor power supply from distribution firms,” SERAP submitted.
