Umuahia Residents on Edge as EEDC Hikes Tarrif by 400%

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has crippled business and social activities in some parts of Umuahia, the capital city of Abia State following a face-off between the utility firm and consumers over astronomical rise in tariff.

Residents took to the streets when they discovered that the July billings were hiked, without prior notice, to over 400 percent from an average of N9,000 billed in June to between N47,000 and N50,000.

The hike, which  sparked two days of protests last week, has now led to darkness as EEDC responded in anger and embarked on mass disconnection of houses at the World Bank Housing Estate and other parts of Umuahia where consumers resisted the tarrif hike.
To worsen matters for consumers, EEDC has not metered most houses before effecting the increase in tarrif, hence residents are now in quandary as both parties could not shift ground in their positions.

Some of the protesting consumers said that their entire monthly earnings could not even pay for the new bills, lamenting that EEDC has now made electricity bill higher than house rent.
The acting President of World Bank Estate Residents Association, Mrs Florence Kanu, had led her executives to complain to the Umuahia Operations Manager of EEDC, Engineer Amaga about the “outrageous and arbitrary” electricity billing.

She also complained about the high cost being charged by EEDC for consumers to acquire prepaid meters, that were supposed to be distributed free of charge.

According to her, many residents of World Bank Estate had long applied for prepaid meters, but were asked to pay as much as N100, 000, thereby making it very difficult for them get the prepaid meters to enable them control their electricity consumption.