Ikeja Residents Storm Ikeja Electric Over Bills

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Residents of Ikeja especially those under the Anifowoshe Undertaking of Ikeja Electric stormed their office on Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja, to lodge their protest over purported outrageous billing.

The residents, who had gathered in their good numbers as early as 8am on Friday morning, complained bitterly about the outrageous billing by Ikeja Electric over a long period of time without considering the economic situation in the country.

One of the residents, Habeeb Adeyemi, said that they have at different times complained as a group and individually too without the issue being resolved. He said that he got embittered when one of the Ikeja Electric staff told him that they deserved the kind of bills they were given. He said that the estimated billings had continued after many years of unfulfilled promises by Ikeja Electric to install metres in the area. He said that his monthly bill was increased from N3,000 to N11,000 without the officials coming to read his old metre which was still working. Habeeb said that it was unimaginable to receive N38,500 as his new bill. He said he wondered the criteria for the sudden outrageous hike when he saw the bill.

Another resident, Mrs. Funke Ojo, who spoke to P.M.EXPRESS, expressed her dissatisfaction with Ikeja Electric and their billing system. She said that she has not been around over a long period but got a bill that was about four times the previous ones. She said that Ikeja Electric deliberately bill them outrageously because they have refused to give them pre-paid metres. She said that areas around them like Seriki Aro and environs do not have the same issues as they use pre-paid metres. She called on the government to look into the issues of billing to avoid people taking the laws into their hands by attacking the Ikeja Electric officials. Mrs. Funke said she had been wondering why it was taking so long for the members of the National Assembly to finish work on the bill against estimated billing as brought forward by Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. She said that the Lagos State Government and the Lagos State House of Assembly should look into matters like this which affect the people directly.

When P.M.EXPRESS correspondent sought to speak with the Ikeja Electric staff who the residents were complaining to, he declined to speak on the matter as he said that he was not in position to speak on behalf of Ikeja Electric.