Lagos – Some electricity consumers in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Community Development Area (LCDA), Lagos, on Monday demanded installation of prepaid meters in the area from the Ikeja Electric (IE) or be disconnected from the national grid.

They could no longer continue to pay “crazy bills.”
Mr Adebayo Alaye, the Chairman, Community Development Committee (CDC) of the area said that their ultimatum followed the failure of IE management to meet their demands, after series of meetings on the prepaid meter issue.
“We have met them several times, but they kept promising us that they will bring it.
“They promised to install prepaid meters last November, when it was November, they went on air that by December they will meter all communities within their zone.
“This is February, we do not have the meters. All we are saying is that they should give us meters so that we can measure the energy we use monthly,” he said.

He said that after waiting endlessly for several months, they were left with no option than to tell them to come and disconnect the community.
“Except you fix prepaid meters in our houses, we are not going to pay by February.
“We don’t want to make trouble with anybody again. Enough is enough,” he said.
Mr Kasumu Olabowale, the Secretary-General of CDC said that they have written the State Commissioner of Police and copied all the Divisional Police Officers (DPO) in charge of the area on their action.
Olabowale said that the IE officials can come at any time to disconnect them because nobody will harm them.

Olabowale, however, appealed to the Ikeja Electric to start the installation in order for the consumers to have a change of heart.
“At least if the IE commences the installation this week, the consumers will see that they have started implementing it.
“We have suffered a lot on this prepaid meter for quite a long time, we could no longer bear it again,” he said.

Also Mr Folly Owolabi, a resident of Alagbado area of Lagos said that he paid between N7, 500 to N8, 000 monthly on his two bedrooms flat.
Owolabi said that if the power supply was regular he would not complain, adding that it was just two hours in a day.
He said that if he had prepaid meter, he would not be paying as much due to erratic power supply.
Mr Pekun Adeyanju, IE Assistant General Manager, Public Affiars appealed to consumers in Agbado Oke-Odo to be patience over their prepaid meters.
Adeyanju said that the management would commence the installation of smart meters in the area before the end of February. (NAN)