CSOs Kick as EEDC Dumps Prepaid Meters for Estimated Billing

The Coalition of Civil Societies Organization (CSOs) in Enugu State has kicked against the decision of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Corporation, (EEDC) to dump the prepaid metering system and return to the estimated billing system.

It will be recalled that many residents who had gone to offices of the EEDC in Enugu to recharge their prepaid meters on January 3 were advised to apply for estimated billing pending when a team of EEDC personnel would visit such customers’ locations to decommission the existing meters and get converted to a post-paid connection.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday following the development, the leader of the CSOs, Igboke Onyebuchi, said the move by the EEDC to phase-out the prepaid metering system in the Southeast is manipulative and evil, and will not be acceptable.

He explained that the development  means that each customer will have to cough out about N38,000 and 70 000 Naira for double phase to get single-phase new MAP pre-paid meters.

He noted that a notice signed by EEDC Network Manager, Mr. Jyotirmaya Lenka, dated December 16, was sneaked into premises of customers few days to Christmas which many of them are not aware up till this moment.

"The letter stated move to replace the black box pre-paid meter in use in many South East premises with pre-paid meters from Meter Asset Provider (MAP) commencing from January 1, 2020," he said.

The CSOs called on all well-meaning individuals, Political Stakeholders, Organised Private Sectors, Trade Union and Organised Labour in the Southeast to rise up against the unhealthy imposition of the billing system.