Television Nigerian

Residents of Maiduguri, Borno state capital, are irked by the recent uninterrupted electricity supply which has caused astronomical increase in charges.

Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) came under attack by residents who see the 24 hours electricity supply as waste and digging holes in their pockets.

The constant power supply according to the residents had caused what they described as “outrageous billings’’.

Mr. Ibrahim Suleiman, a resident at who lives in Bolori Layout, appealed to the YEDC to reduce supply of electriticy.

“YEDC should go back to the former supply system where electricity was supplied for 12 hours and not 24 hours recently being enjoyed.

Suleiman described the stable power supply as a “wastage” because many consumers cannot use electricity during working hours.

“I work from 7 p.m. to 4 p.m. So I do not need any electricity until I get home. But in this case whether you consume power or not, you will be billed to pay for it. I think this is not fair, “he said.

Residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the incurring high bills was worrisome.

They said that it was not in the interest of the masses, because it has hindered economic activities and social life of the people.

They also alleged that YEDC jacked up their electricity bills by over 100 per cent for commercial and residential areas sequel to appreciable improvement in power supply in the metropolis.

Mr Esther Chukwuma, one of the consumers, described the new billing adopted by the power distribution companies as frustrating and lamentable.

“My bill indicated that I used 605 units in November and they charged N14, 000 as against N6, 500 for September where I used the same units.

“They are charging me for what I did not consume because during the day, I spend most of my time in my shop. I only use the electricity at night at home.

“I have a prepaid metre in the shop and I don’t spend more than N2, 000 in a whole month.

“So how come I am not staying at home and i am being asked to pay N14, 000.

“I am here in their office, demanding an explanation,” she said.

Also speaking, Mrs Fatima Musa, a widow, said: “I was given a bill of N15, 000 monthly instead of the N5,000 I used to get monthly.

“I strongly disagree with this outrageous charges given without any explanation”.

She said that electricity consumers were at the receiving end especially those without prepaid metres, noting that the billing process was “opaque and lacks transparency”.

Malam Abdullahi Bako, who lives in Gwange, said how can YEDC be bringing between N9, 000 and N15, 000 to a room apartment in a month.

“We are being forced to pay for electricity we never consumed; this is extortion, we demand for transparency in the billing methodology,” Bako said.

Responding, Alhaji Usman Wakta, the YEDC Maiduguri Business Manager, said the company does not bill its customers arbitrarily.

“These complaints may be as a result of the commissioning of the 330kV transmission line which now supplies electricity 24 hours.

He said that before the commissioning of the new line, the stations relied on the 132KV controlled from Biu, which can only supply for a period of ten to twelve hours per day.

“On the average, we now supply electricity in the town for a minimum of 22 hours in a day which simply implies that the consumption of energy by residents in the state have multiplied or even tripled itself.

“We took a simple study from our prepaid metres users and we found out that the people that usually came to buy unit of N2000 or N3000 in a month now have to spend N15, 000 or N20, 000 because of their energy usage.

“One thing we notice about the consumers is that they waste energy. People have this habit of leaving their lights on even in the afternoon.

“Go to some super markets or filling stations, you will see more than 200 bulbs on in the afternoon. So the more you load you use the more energy you consume.

On the allegation of exorbitant billing of consumers without meter, Wakta said : ”We go to people’s home to do load assessment based on the gadgets they have in the house and bill them accordingly.

The Amnesty International has continued to receive knocks over its misleading report tagged “Harvest of Death Three Years of Bloody Clashes between Farmers and Herders in Nigeria.

The London-based organization which focuses on human rights wasn’t sparred by Nigerians who have lashed out at the group over its latest episode of fallacy.

In President Muhammadu Buhari’s words, “it is geared towards damaging the morale of the Nigerian military.”

It is therefore on this ground that the Middlebelt Conscience Guard has acted, accusing the international organization’s report as “an agglomeration of series of events that have been reported, discussed, analyzed and acted upon by Nigerians and their leaders.”

Prince Onoja Ugwu, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the group raised this alarm on Tuesday in a press release in Abuja.

According to Mr Ugwu, AI is only acting the script of its sponsors who appears hell bent on undermining the remarkable gains of the Nigerian Army and peace of the country.

“The Nigerian Military made progress in dealing with the Boko Haram problem the moment the farmers/herders’ crisis was brought under control; since they do not have to contend with multiple deployments they are able to concentrate resources in countering the terrorists. Should this international NGO succeed in provoking fresh attacks with its report, the military will again be deployed to the affected hotspots, only that this time around the reprisals will be simultaneous across the country. This would stretch the military thin and give room for all security challenges in the country to fester, “ he stated.

“The report mischievously accuse the government and the military of not doing enough to protect people from being attacked and killed. It went on to add the fiction that response time is often slow and could take days. But the reality is that this same Amnesty International will accuse troops of war crime in situation when they are able to engage the killers in gun battle – they accuse the military of killing civilians when the killers get killed. This scenario is as confusing as it is harebrained. One minute it is the military is not doing anything, the next minute it is that the military has used excessive force.

“It is therefore apparent that the Amnesty International report has no connection with improving conditions of human rights in Nigeria. Rather, it appears aimed at:

“ Provide negative campaign material for the opposition, whose members are known to have severally been in contact with INEC staffers.

“Discredit the Nigerian Military as capable of securing the country when this same military has performed superlatively in the face of arms sales blockades motivated by Amnesty International.

“Re-ignite the farmers/herders’ clashes after several months of lull that is being explored to rebuild trust and relationship by the country.

“Create a failed nation where Amnesty International can sit back in the armchair to continue writing fictitious reports about “dire living conditions”.

“Bearing the foregoing in mind, we call on the international community to note the evil being perpetrated by Amnesty international in Nigeria. The world should note that the group is actively manufacturing dissent and crises that it is launching in Nigerian to the detriment of the rights of citizens here.

“What Amnesty International has done is worse than the actual farmers/herders’ crisis, which is to cause the warring parties to resume hostilities and escalate the killings. We have genuine concerns that people will resume murdering each other in response to the Amnesty International’s report. It is on this note that we categorically state that we shall hold Amnesty International responsible for any resumption of the farmers/herders’ crisis same as we will hold it liable for any reprisal that takes place in the aftermath of the publication.

“We warn that Amnesty International should immediately mitigate the crisis it has instigated failing which we shall activate citizens’ action against it within the limits permissible in the law. We will not watch helplessly while they destroy our country and run back to enjoy the blood money they have been paid to cause damage to Nigeria.

“We have accepted that Amnesty International is the latest terrorist group operating in Nigeria, harassing the government and law abiding citizens with its contrived crises. Let this international NGO know that Nigerians are not helpless when it comes to dealing with its excesses.”