Consumers decry dangerous rights abuse in electricity sector
Nigeria is witnessing a dangerous and unacceptable abuse of consumer rights in the electricity sector, and Kaduna Electricity agency has now taken this abuse to a new and alarming level, Kaduna social critics and consumer, Engr. Akin and Alhaji Bashir Abdulraheem have alleged.
Engr. Akin made the revelations in a statement shared in Kaduna Tuesday, asserting that Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) has allegedly institutionalized consumers extortion in the name of debt recovery.
Engr. Akin, stated that he stands in full solidarity with the courageous press alert issued by Alhaji Bashir Abdulraheem, “which correctly described the current actions of Kaduna Electric as nothing short of economic oppression against law-abiding Nigerians”.
“What Kaduna Electric is doing today is not debt recovery — it is institutionalized extortion”, tagging it as “On the Unlawful Imposition of “Accrued Debts” on Kaduna Electric Customers.
He noted that thousands of prepaid and postpaid customers across Kaduna State have suddenly been labeled “debtors” and loaded with so-called “accrued outstanding debts.
These debtors, he asserted, is ranging from tens of thousands to millions of naira —without meter records, without bills, without customer consent, and without any reconciliation process.
He also noted clearly that from NEPA to PHCN to Kaduna Electric, most Nigerians were subjected for decades to estimated billing, a system universally condemned for being inaccurate, exploitative, and corrupt.
According to him, customers were charged for power they never received even as complaints were ignored, appeals were buried, while the bills kept rising.
“Now Kaduna Electric wants to convert this historical injustice into digital debt bondage by forcing these unverifiable, disputed, and inflated figures onto prepaid meters, describing it illegal, immoral and economic depression.
“This is illegal. This is immoral. This is economic violence” he declared, stressing that kaduna electric must answered some key questions ranging from “How was each customer’s debt calculated? and whether it was based on meter readings, estimated bills, or internal projections?
“What period do these debts cover?
NEPA era, PHCN era, or only Kaduna Electric operations? Where are the bills, records, and customer statements?
“Why were customers never given a chance to dispute these figures?
Why are prepaid customers — who pay before consumption, being punished for alleged past inefficiencies and failures of the distribution company, amongst others.
Engr. Akin stated that suspension of online token sales is coercion, adding that, Kaduna Electric has deliberately blocked online token purchases to force customers to physically visit their offices, where electricity is only sold after forced monthly debt deductions.
According to him, the action is not customer service oriented. “This is coercion. This is collective punishment. Electricity is a basic utility — not a weapon. NERC must act or be held complicit”, he lamented.
“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) was created to protect consumers. Silence in the face of this abuse makes NERC complicit.
“Debt recovery is regulated. Metered customers cannot be arbitrarily billed. DisCos are not permitted to impose debts without audited billing, customer engagement, and legal process”,.
They therefore demanded immediate suspension of all imposed “accrued debts”, restoration of normal token purchase channels and ensure independent audit of all alleged customer debts.
They also demanded “Customer-by-customer reconciliation and dispute resolution, regulatory sanctions against Kaduna Electric for abuse of power.
According to them, If this injustice is not stopped, Nigerians will be left with no option but to seek redress through public protest, consumer congress, and legal action, saying Electricity consumers are not slaves, and prepaid meters are not debt traps, as Nigerians deserve fairness, transparency, and dignity.
Recalled that, Eagle Brain Human Rights Organization recently fired KAEDCO over allegedly violations of consumers rights and gave the company 14-days to comply or dragged to Court — as kaduna wait the deadline.
Related to this topic:
