KEY POINTS
- Residents of Minna staged a peaceful protest against persistent power outages and estimated electricity billing by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
- Protesters say households receive high monthly bills despite poor and irregular electricity supply.
- AEDC management acknowledged the complaints and promised to review the concerns and improve service delivery.
Residents of Minna, the capital of Niger State, on Thursday staged a peaceful protest over ongoing power outages and what they described as unfair estimated electricity billing by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
The demonstration brought together residents, civil society organisations and youth groups who marched through major streets of the city to demand better electricity supply and the installation of prepaid meters for consumers.
The protest was convened by human rights activist and Chief Executive Officer of Human Rights Radio, Lanre Sadiq, who led participants in calling attention to the electricity challenges affecting households and businesses across the state.
Protesters decry inflated bills despite poor supply
Speaking during the protest, Sadiq criticised the continued use of estimated billing, describing it as exploitative and unjust to consumers who often receive electricity bills that do not reflect their actual usage.
According to him, many households are charged excessive amounts even though they experience poor and inconsistent power supply.
He noted that some residents living in small apartments receive electricity bills as high as 46,000 naira monthly under the estimated billing system.
Sadiq urged the electricity distribution company to comply with the Federal Government’s directive on metering electricity consumers, stressing that prepaid meters would ensure transparency and allow customers to pay only for the electricity they consume.
Also speaking during the protest, human rights campaigner Abdullahi Jabi of the Campaign for Democracy said the demonstration was intended to draw attention to the wider impact of poor electricity supply on economic activities and public safety.
Jabi explained that frequent power outages have disrupted businesses, slowed economic activities and contributed to growing insecurity in several communities across the state.
He emphasised that the protesters were peaceful and law-abiding citizens who had no intention of damaging electricity facilities. Instead, they sought constructive engagement with the electricity distribution company to find lasting solutions to the problem.
Responding to the protesters, the Acting Managing Director of the Niger State Electricity Distribution Company, Samuel Odekina, acknowledged the concerns raised by residents and assured them that efforts were underway to improve electricity supply in the coming days.
Odekina said the company’s management had taken note of the demands presented by the protesters and would review the issues raised.
He, however, reminded consumers that electricity supplied must be paid for, while assuring that the company would continue to engage with residents to address their concerns.
