Hello House,

The subject matter refers.. Guys what is really happening in Nigeria? Why are we all not making noise on the current grand fraud being perpetuated via PHCN estimated billing? What really is the reason PHCN is unable to supply prepaid meters to ALL households even when we are READY to pay double for each one? The unprecedented level of grand thieving that is happening in PHCN in broad day light defies all logic. It is unbelievable how callous we have become as a people.

I live at Kernel Street, off Amosu Street in Bode Thomas (Surulere LGA). As of January 2016, my postpaid PHCN bill was exactly N5,501.76. This was followed by a steady, continuous rise to N22,416.00 by January 2017 (407.5% increase). As of today, the 20th of June 2018, my MONTHLY estimated bills hover between N24,000.00 and N35,000.00. To be precise, the estimated bill given to me by PHCN for the month of June 2018 is exactly N29,760.00! In a country where minimum wage is N18,000 and house rent is paid by God's special grace.. What exactly is wrong with these people for goodness sake? How can you be doing this to us and be getting away with it because those who ought to care do not care?

I live in a 2 bedroom flat, I'm single and hardly in the house because of the nature of my job except for weekends. I also don't sleep at night with the Air Conditioner on because of health issues (knee related). I hardly have time to use my electric iron so I dry clean my clothes. My fridge has the popular advanced Smart Inverter Compressor technology that saves so much energy and can be powered by even a small generator. What exactly is in my small house that I should be paying an average of N30,000 every month to PHCN? I am finding it so hard to understand this level of wickedness and it's beginning to affect my sanity.

Before you ask what I've done about this please find details of my efforts at resolving this over the years:

1. I have been to the PHCN offices at Mushin and Ijora to complain (including their Doyin office which is closest to my house), nothing has come out of it.
2. I have written letters and sent emails to EKEDP (customercare@ekedp.com), nothing has come out of it.
3. I have written a letter to the Honourable Minister for Power, Works and Housing (letter was acknowledged as received) and a copy of the letter made to the Commercial Manager, Eko Electric Distribution Board, Mushin which was received with an official stamp by EKEDP customer care unit on the 13th of March 2017. Again, nothing came out of it.
4. I have sent emails to NERC (Eko Forum) on two different occasion this year to complain about this massive fraud going on in my area. The first time I wrote to Eko Forum, the PHCN marketer in charge of my area was summoned somehow because after that email he came over to my house to take an inventory of the electronic appliances in the house. After this he assured me that something will surely be done about my bills. It's about 3 months since that time and the crazy bills have continued. I wrote another email to them and they replied the following day that my request had been forwarded to EKEDP. Till today nothing has been done and the bills are still soaring high!

PHCN officials never come to the house to take Meter readings. They are just not interested. I was recently out of town for about 2 weeks with the house under lock and key but this does not stop PHCN from increasing my bills every month (whether there's usage or not). It may also interest you to know that PHCN officials, as is the norm of recent, always disconnect my building for at least 5 to 7 days each month following the inability of one of our tenants to pay up on time. Whenever this happens we all suffer blackout that last for several days while we wait for my neighbor to pay his own portion of the estimated bill which is around the same range as mine. This is so because PHCN supplies all the apartments in the house power via one cable that runs from the street pole to the building. Despite all the inconveniences PHCN will still proceed to punish us every month, with extremely high, unjustified bills! It beats my imagination how wicked these people are.

You are expected to pay up ANY bill you are given, regardless of the amount and regardless of usage. How you pay is none of their business. As I write this our power line has been disconnected again (all 4 flats) because one of our tenants is still running around looking for money to pay up. This is after I paid N30,000 and my next door neighbour paid N34,000. My people, do you really think this is sustainable? I'm tired of the whole thing. I feel as though I've been kidnapped and forced to part with my hard earned money every month. These guys are likely on a mission to ensure our monthly salaries end up in their pockets. The bills are still rising and will soon get to N50,000+ per month at this rate. Companies around my area (with lots of Air Conditioners and other heavy electronic gadgets) pay an average of N10,000 to N14,000 each month from my investigations, and three bedroom residential apartments with prepaid meters do not pay up to 20% of what I dole out to PHCN each month. why are defenseless Citizens being made to go through hell in Nigeria? I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of Nigerians groaning from this fraud. Where is our conscience as a people? Is this how we want to attain greatness without the fear of God?

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), empowered by the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act, 2005 stated on their website that it is the customer’s right to be notified in writing ahead of disconnection of electricity service by the DisCo serving the customer in line with NERC’s guidelines. PHCN does not write before disconnection. They are so quick to disconnect within 2 minutes and require us to pay N2000 per flat (N8,000 in total from my building) before they can reconnect, regardless. Who then are the laws made for? You complain, nothing comes our of it. You write letters to the authorities, nothing comes out of it. Maybe I should consider sueing them to court for all the inconveniences caused me over the years, but then will anything come out of it? I am Tired.

Maybe I should consider asking them to come remove my meter completely (they don't read it anyways). I'm tired of paying bills I do not understand. Any suggestions on how to handle this will be appreciated. Thanks for reading my rants, I really hope I don't end up with clinical depression at this rate.

Just relocate

@Op
Contact your CDA committee and I'm sure they will take it up from there ..


I stay in mushin too

Currently going thru same ordeal.i ve told them to come disconnect my line,sinc they've refused giving us prepaid meter,yet ends up bringing xtravagant bills.lemmi kukuma be hanging wires illegally like bats.we've gotten a very long sokoto sugarcane stick that we will bee using to transmission transmitting transmitter the transformation. .

A thread on why PREPAID METER being distributed TO ALL may never be achieved in Nigeria.
After the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Electricity distribution companies are next on the list when it comes to corruption. This has been in existence from time immemorial, just like barracks, many government have come and gone but the deep rooted corruption in the system remains
In April 2016, I moved in to my current apartment. The apartment was still connected to an old meter and there was an outstanding payment of about N385,000.00 to be paid.

This wasn't revealed to me before I made payment for the rent, as usual (that's how they all do)
This became a worry and an absolute headache.

I asked the landlord why it was so and she made me understand that the apartment was not in use for 5years.

I asked how come it wasn't reported to NEPA so they'd stop the billing, she gave me a copy of the letter she wrote to them
So I took the matter up, wrote several mails to Eko electricity company and the matter was on for 11months, note that in the space of this 11 months, I never got a monthly bill lesser than 24,000.00

You want to ask if I have a factory in my apartment? No I don't.
So it extended from wanting the company to zerorize the ridiculous outstanding balance in the billing account to fighting and contesting the outrageous billing system which do not in any way represent my true electricity consumption and wanting a Prepaid Meter

The battle began.
After several exchange of mails betweens myself and Eko Electric and no solution was forthcoming, I moved the matter to NERC, the regulatory body for all electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.

I filed a petition against Ekedp and the undertaking in charge of my area.
Lo and behold, after three days from the petition submission to NERC, I got a call from the marketing manager for my area pleading for me to make myself available to allow them come to my house and take inventory of the electrical appliances I use.

NERC is working yeah? Right.
A staff of the Ekedp came to take the inventory and at the end of the computations, we calculated and multiplied each appliance by the estimated units they consume per day and multiplied by 31days.

Recall I said I never got a bill less than 24k in a month?
Then we arrived at a figure that even the Eko electric staff who came to take the inventory opened his mouth and couldn't close it.

What I should be billed based on having 24hour light per day(which is not even possible) in 31 days was 4,800.00

I almost ran mad.
I took a copy of the report, scanned it and attached it to my next petition to NERC.

At this point, the marketing manager attached to my undertaking had started calling and begging me to stop the petitions.

That they could all get sacked if matters gets escalated further.
Then in September 2017, after all the troubles and how I never got tired if pursuing the issue, I got a mail from Eko electricity to come with some required documents in order to fill a form for a PREPAID METER.

I went there and did as they requested

At Last.
On 27 November 2017, I was on leave.
I was at my gate then this Alfa looking guy was parading and trying to see house number on the fence. My instinct told me to ask if he was asking for Ayo, then he said yes

He was the prepaid meter installer, he was with my new prepaid meter
I also recall that before the whole issue started, I was discouraged severally that I can never be given prepaid meter due to the outstanding balance on the billing account, I paid no mind to all the people that said that and went ahead with my case.
I got the Prepaid meter for FREE. After a week, bill was brought and boom, outstanding balance has been cleared from 385,000.00 to zero balance.

How did I achieve this?
I mean I didn't pay a dime to anyone and I never for once bribed my way in all my dealings.
I achieved this simply because;

1. I knew my right.
2. I wouldn't settle for mediocrity
3. I never stopped pushing even after several months and it seemed unachievable
4. I was ready to take the matter up anywhere
5. I was informed.
Now imagine how many people are out there who don't even know how to go about such tedious and draining process.

I learnt that a lot of people even paid as much as 40k to get the prepaid meter. Something that's supposed to be free.
Since the prepaid meter was installed in November 27 2017, I have not exhausted the 303 units that came with it which is calculated to be 7,200.00

And I still have 140units left to use.

That's over four (4) months now
Do you now see why these people will never allow dream of every homes having a prepaid meter become a reality?

Because such development will block all holes where the electricity distribution corrupt members of staff perpetrate their fraudulent activities and corruption from.
They know that they will be forced to give light more in order to generate revenue and will not be able to charge people outrageously as they are currently doing and remitting the proceeds of their criminal act to their pockets.

Stand up and Fight for what is your right.
Prepaid meter is your right, fight for it to the latter.

If you believe that your monthly electricity bill do not represent your consumption, make a case.

If you're in Lagos, Ikeja Electricity company and Eko electricity company are there for you.

If they fail, involve NERC.
That will be all, for now.
Due to popular demand, these are the email addresses you can forward your complaints to -
Ikeja Electricity Distribution - customercare@ikejaelectric.com
Eko Electricity Distribution - customercare@ekedp.com
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission - complaints@nerc.gov.ng

Kindly send details of your complaint to contact@cpc.gov.ng

am coming back



It's obvious the op is a rich Man. paying 30k on electricity bill alone that he's not even enjoying

bro. na bedc for Edo state worse pass.

all those people fit give someone depression(anger turned in ward) because you can't display it outward make you nor go commit murder.

and as i dey type so we nor even get the light.

Force dem to give u a prepaid meter....shii works for real
But if you can be patient till de come fix it fr u for free,den de will clear all outstanding payment and stat evrytin like its a new line

Here in plateau state,most household have prepaid meters and that I must say has saved us a lot of stress with lots of electricity management involved...

Modified....
Seeing some comments where it was difficult to get prepaid meters...over hia,de force it on us..if u refuse d free prepaid meter,u get disconnected..and it is fixed directly on d pole so you have no way of by passing it

In my university days, the house I lived at a time was billed 80k for electricity. It was a empty duplex with 4-room bq. Only two of the rooms in the bq was occupied. I occupied one while my friend lived in the other. The only electricity consuming property in my room was 1 ceiling fan, an argon bulb, laptop, and a phone charge. Though my neighbor had more electric appliance then I had, it wasn't more than a home stereo, ceiling fan, 2 halogen bulbs, a laptop and a pressing iron. How on earth could we have consumed 80k worth of electricity when we're not robots.

Disco not Phcn

if they cut your light again just rehang it, don't pay shi shi again.

The whole issue is just annoying, this is pure corruption.

ahnie:
Currently going thru same ordeal.i ve told them to come disconnect my line,sinc they've refused giving us prepaid meter,yet ends up bringing xtravagant bills.lemmi kukuma be hanging wires illegally.

Going through same deal here in Ilupeju, its nigh-time we did something.....Latest bill is 15000

This is the ordeal of many postpaid users. It's so frustrating that nobody is listening to their cry.

I'm not surprised; THIS IS NIGERIA

Its not getting funny anymore

Hmm

The discos are just oppressing Nigerians, no remedy it appears and worse part is the light is not 24hours but their bills are 25hours.

enjoying my prepaid meter. 4 over 3month phcn refused to give us light, wen they finally came back to their sense they brought d light back. I went ahead to check my meter and it was d same reading since 3months. prepaid meter is bae. u guys should have ordered 4 it and save urselves this unnecessary headache and heartbreak by phcn.

Stop paying! They brought bill for everyone in my street, the lowest was 30k. We all decided not to pay. They came to disconnect the light yesterday, we even gave them Coke to drink. After they left, we connected it back. Na so we go do until they bring prepaid meter. Rubbish!

Op my advice is
Force them to give you prepaid meter, but me that is advising, I haven't gotten mine o....
In short no pay bill again...
Na wetin...

Go get Prepaid meter.

I believe the best option for now is for you and your neighbor(or other tenants) to get an electronic meter since you hardly use power that much....this will enable phcn avoid your building completely....

...And if they say they don't have an electronic meter,insist that they get one for you.....Thieves!

Write to them, to disconnect you.

I was once in such situation, what we did was to go and ask them to come disconnect us from their grid and close our account with them.
I was referred to the commercial manager who requested I put it in writing. Eventually, they disconnected us and in about 1 month from that day, they brought the pre-paid meter to us free of charge

gulfer:
Going through same deal here in Ilupeju, its nigh-time we did something.....Latest bill is 15000

Mine was 29000....i went to pay 6600 yesterday location of the transmission transmitted transaction is Asaba . you ve now seen why I no de carry eyes see Nepa pipo.

"there is no prepaid meter" they will tell you

but expect u to pay for their inefficiency of not providing prepaid meters
the kind of wickedness running in the blood of these people eeh

i just relocated to a new apartment and luckily for me the last occupant used a prepaid meter os there is no outstanding bill
the electricity guy just came and opened a new siphoning account for me
can u imagine that they brought a bill of N29, 500 for only three weeks that we have stayed in the new house

In plateau state it's almost the same.
We had been using a prepaid meter for close to 5 years before it stopped reading our card two years ago, since then it has been hell from phcn.

It got even worse this year when we started recieving bills of 15000+, after complaints they asked us to just be paying any reasonable amount. So we were paying about 6k monthly pending when we would receive the prepaid meter we've been applying for.

Finally got the prepaid meter last two weeks, with our cumulative balance of 45k turned to zero.

Teetopz:
A thread on why PREPAID METER being distributed TO ALL may never be achieved in Nigeria.
After the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Electricity distribution companies are next on the list when it comes to corruption. This has been in existence from time immemorial, just like barracks, many government have come and gone but the deep rooted corruption in the system remains
In April 2016, I moved in to my current apartment. The apartment was still connected to an old meter and there was an outstanding payment of about N385,000.00 to be paid.

This wasn't revealed to me before I made payment for the rent, as usual (that's how they all do)
This became a worry and an absolute headache.

I asked the landlord why it was so and she made me understand that the apartment was not in use for 5years.

I asked how come it wasn't reported to NEPA so they'd stop the billing, she gave me a copy of the letter she wrote to them
So I took the matter up, wrote several mails to Eko electricity company and the matter was on for 11months, note that in the space of this 11 months, I never got a monthly bill lesser than 24,000.00

You want to ask if I have a factory in my apartment? No I don't.
So it extended from wanting the company to zerorize the ridiculous outstanding balance in the billing account to fighting and contesting the outrageous billing system which do not in any way represent my true electricity consumption and wanting a Prepaid Meter

The battle began.
After several exchange of mails betweens myself and Eko Electric and no solution was forthcoming, I moved the matter to NERC, the regulatory body for all electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.

I filed a petition against Ekedp and the undertaking in charge of my area.
Lo and behold, after three days from the petition submission to NERC, I got a call from the marketing manager for my area pleading for me to make myself available to allow them come to my house and take inventory of the electrical appliances I use.

NERC is working yeah? Right.
A staff of the Ekedp came to take the inventory and at the end of the computations, we calculated and multiplied each appliance by the estimated units they consume per day and multiplied by 31days.

Recall I said I never got a bill less than 24k in a month?
Then we arrived at a figure that even the Eko electric staff who came to take the inventory opened his mouth and couldn't close it.

What I should be billed based on having 24hour light per day(which is not even possible) in 31 days was 4,800.00

I almost ran mad.
I took a copy of the report, scanned it and attached it to my next petition to NERC.

At this point, the marketing manager attached to my undertaking had started calling and begging me to stop the petitions.

That they could all get sacked if matters gets escalated further.
Then in September 2017, after all the troubles and how I never got tired if pursuing the issue, I got a mail from Eko electricity to come with some required documents in order to fill a form for a PREPAID METER.

I went there and did as they requested

At Last.
On 27 November 2017, I was on leave.
I was at my gate then this Alfa looking guy was parading and trying to see house number on the fence. My instinct told me to ask if he was asking for Ayo, then he said yes

He was the prepaid meter installer, he was with my new prepaid meter
I also recall that before the whole issue started, I was discouraged severally that I can never be given prepaid meter due to the outstanding balance on the billing account, I paid no mind to all the people that said that and went ahead with my case.
I got the Prepaid meter for FREE. After a week, bill was brought and boom, outstanding balance has been cleared from 385,000.00 to zero balance.

How did I achieve this?
I mean I didn't pay a dime to anyone and I never for once bribed my way in all my dealings.
I achieved this simply because;

1. I knew my right.
2. I wouldn't settle for mediocrity
3. I never stopped pushing even after several months and it seemed unachievable
4. I was ready to take the matter up anywhere
5. I was informed.
Now imagine how many people are out there who don't even know how to go about such tedious and draining process.

I learnt that a lot of people even paid as much as 40k to get the prepaid meter. Something that's supposed to be free.
Since the prepaid meter was installed in November 27 2017, I have not exhausted the 303 units that came with it which is calculated to be 7,200.00

And I still have 140units left to use.

That's over four (4) months now
Do you now see why these people will never allow dream of every homes having a prepaid meter become a reality?

Because such development will block all holes where the electricity distribution corrupt members of staff perpetrate their fraudulent activities and corruption from.
They know that they will be forced to give light more in order to generate revenue and will not be able to charge people outrageously as they are currently doing and remitting the proceeds of their criminal act to their pockets.

Stand up and Fight for what is your right.
Prepaid meter is your right, fight for it to the latter.

If you believe that your monthly electricity bill do not represent your consumption, make a case.

If you're in Lagos, Ikeja Electricity company and Eko electricity company are there for you.

If they fail, involve NERC.
That will be all, for now.
Due to popular demand, these are the email addresses you can forward your complaints to -
Ikeja Electricity Distribution - customercare@ikejaelectric.com
Eko Electricity Distribution - customercare@ekedp.com
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission - complaints@nerc.gov.ng

Good one.

op, your bill dey learn wia my own dey Got no light for over 3 months cos of a bad Transformer yet the bill keeps coming. june bill was 29k

justjeff:
Just relocate

Relocate to where they use prepaid meter

Let's form a Registered Union and sue their ass to court. Union of residents Using Estimated Billing. Who is with me on this . I want to start going to court now. We must sue IKEDC and EKDC.