NASS urged to protect Nigerians from DisCos’ extortion
The National Assembly (NASS) has been urged to use its oversight functions to protect Nigerians from extortion by Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos).
The Africa Anti-Slavery Coalition (AASLAC) specifically called on NASS to organize a public hearing in Lagos to address the exploitation of consumers through fraudulent billing practices and the mismanagement of the prepaid metering system.
In a statement by its Convener, Tony Masha, AASLAC decried the abuse of the prepaid metering system, which was originally designed to ensure consumers pay only for what they use. Instead, it has become a tool for intolerable extortion by DisCos.
According to the statement: “In most parts of Lagos, DisCos lure unsuspecting consumers to fill out forms for prepaid meters, and once this is done, bills begin to accumulate—whether the meters are installed or not. Consumers are trapped by this fraudulent method, accumulating debts running into hundreds of thousands of Naira for meters that were never installed or connected. This is very unfortunate and must stop.”
The group highlighted instances of abuse, including one under Ikeja Electric in the Gbagada area of Lagos, where prepaid meters for all flats in a compound were removed without warning. Residents later discovered they were required to pay over N367,000 for a meter applied for two years earlier to power a borehole, which had not been installed. Despite numerous reports from the landlord to Ikeja Electric, the issue was ignored.
In another case, two buildings on the same street—18A and 18B—were disconnected because one or two occupants in one building owed electricity bills. A landlord in Ojota also reported having his electricity disconnected in his absence due to a tenant on estimated billing owing arrears.
One particularly troubling incident involved a buyer who rebuilt a dilapidated property in Gbagada. The individual was ordered to pay N500,000 because the previous residents of the property had outstanding electricity bills.
The group also criticized Eko Electric for failing to supply prepaid meters to many consumers who had paid for them one or two years earlier. Instead, these consumers continue to receive inflated monthly bills and are now being asked to pay additional fees to obtain their meters.
“This extortion is even worse during the festive period,” AASLAC noted. “We urge NASS to visit DisCos’ offices in Lagos undercover to witness firsthand how citizens are treated like slaves by officials of these companies, who act as demi-gods.”
The coalition welcomed the Senate’s recent acknowledgment that the 2013 privatization of the power sector was a failure and called for a comprehensive review.
“As part of this sanitization process, the National Assembly must visit DisCos’ offices across the country and listen to the tales of suffering, extortion, and humiliation endured by Nigerians at the hands of electricity company officials,” the statement concluded.
