The Enugu State Government has tackled the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) over alleged disconnection of power supply to its facilities in the state.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chidiebere Onyia, in a letter forwarded to the EEDC on Tuesday, said that the company earlier issued a notice of disconnection and subsequently disconnected power supply to some of the government’s offices and institutions in the state.
Mr Onyia, a professor, accused the EEDC of relying on estimated billing methodology instead of meter billing methodology, which he described as “unlawful, malicious, callous and vexatious.”
The SSG contended that the use of estimated billing and disconnection of power supply to government offices by the electricity company was in violation of rules of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Standing Order 2020.
He recalled that, on 7 June, the EEDC via a letter to the state governor, Peter Mbah, claimed that the state government owed the company a total of N1.3 billion.
Mr Onyia, however, faulted the EEDC’s claim and argued that electricity bills were those inherited from the previous administration considering that Governor Mbah’s administration had “diligently and promptly paid all bills received from May 2023 to date, including two months from the carried over bill.”
Meanwhile, the EEDC spokesperson, Emeka Ezeh, had earlier on Tuesday, argued that majority of facilities of the Enugu State Government were metered.
Mr Onyia quoted paragraph 13(a) of the NERC Order 2020 which provides that electricity customers who are “maximum demand agencies and parastatals” but not provided with metres by 1 March 2017 should not pay any electricity bills presented by a DisCo on the basis of estimated billing methodology.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?gdpr=0&client=ca-pub-2023028789149162&output=html&h=300&adk=2069075434&adf=3801498329&w=360&abgtt=7&lmt=1718160906&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=8623283848&ad_type=text_image&format=360×300&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenigerialawyer.com%2Fenugu-state-govt-refutes-eedcs-n1-3-billion-debt-claim-demands-detailed-bills-for-audit%2F&host=ca-host-pub-2644536267352236&fwr=1&pra=3&rh=267&rw=320&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&sfro=1&wgl=1&fa=27&dt=1718163766924&bpp=17&bdt=5394&idt=-M&shv=r20240605&mjsv=m202406060101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D06bd9a19950fee80-228db99240e000ff%3AT%3D1690064131%3ART%3D1718163673%3AS%3DALNI_MbC8skCs4ebnwglGM5u4k6lTU5mHw&gpic=UID%3D00000d040e7e3532%3AT%3D1690064131%3ART%3D1718163673%3AS%3DALNI_MaUaQ3b_8VGnevtHWowzDhtzfQSsw&eo_id_str=ID%3Dbed612196c3467bf%3AT%3D1706831129%3ART%3D1718163673%3AS%3DAA-AfjYSRgOf6GOKi6lJ12o6iGNz&prev_fmts=0x0%2C360x275%2C360x300%2C360x300&nras=3&correlator=7974509116551&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=2052961092.1690064131&ga_sid=1718163763&ga_hid=759409716&ga_fc=1&u_tz=60&u_his=50&u_h=800&u_w=360&u_ah=800&u_aw=360&u_cd=24&u_sd=2&dmc=4&adx=0&ady=3604&biw=360&bih=688&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759876%2C44759927%2C44759842%2C44795921%2C95331695%2C95334508%2C95334526%2C95334573%2C95334581%2C95334820%2C31084413%2C42532860%2C95334054&oid=2&pvsid=1849605158744972&tmod=664186049&uas=3&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fthenigerialawyer.com%2Fcategory%2Fmetro-news%2F&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C360%2C0%2C360%2C688%2C360%2C688&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&bz=1&psd=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDNd&ifi=7&uci=a!7&btvi=3&fsb=1&dtd=691
According to him, the paragraph, in its subsection (b), states that “no DisCo shall disconnect any maximum demand agencies and parastatals customers that were not metered by 1 March 2024 on the basis of the customer’s refusal to pay an invoice issued on the basis of estimated billing after the compliance deadline.”
Mr Onyia said, considering the provisions of the NERC Order, the disconnection of power supply to various state government’s offices and institutions by the EEDC “was unlawful and unacceptable.”
“Therefore, the government demands detailed bills and the accounts statements/histories of the government agencies that make up the claimed state’s indebtedness to EEDC for forensic audit investigations.
The government further demands immediate and total metering of all its agencies in line with NERC Order,” he said.
The SSG said the state government additionally demanded a refund of its electricity infrastructure investment from which it said the EEDC had profited “much money.”
He added that the Enugu State Government has also demanded a retraction of the “false claim” by the EEDC that the government owed the company and immediately reconnect all disconnected government agencies as the basis for a “truce” between them.
“Following the NERC Order NO/197/2020, the government hereby notifies EEDC management that it will no longer pay any electricity bills based on the estimated billing methodology.
“The government notes that it has carried out electricity infrastructure intervention projects investment totaling N2,979,334,305.19 from which EEDC collects revenue. The government demands payments for the investment costs and other debts owed by the EEDC to the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Government, through its development agency, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), sealed offices of the EEDC earlier on Tuesday in the state.
Mr Onyia was silent on the sealing of the EEDC’s offices by the ECTDA.
It is unclear if the sealing of the offices of the electricity company was connected to the disagreement between the state government and the EEDC over alleged unpaid electricity bills by the government and disconnection of supply to its offices and institutions in the state.
Credit: Leadership