Customers in Ilorin have complained about the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) and its environs, which many allege have exacerbated citizens’ hardships during this period of Naira note scarcity.
Some customers turned to social media to criticize IBEDC management for refusing to accept old naira notes or any kind of e-payment to cover their electricity bills.
Many customers were spotted stranded on Saturday at the Challenge Business Unit office in Ilorin, where they were irately criticizing the IBEDC management for their callousness in ordering their cashiers not to accept old naira notes.
A customer, Bolaji Yusuf who spoke to Newsmen wanders if the old notes ceased to be legal tenders or is IBEDC joining to sabotage the cashless policy of the CBN?”
Recall that the Quest Times had reported that the Supreme Court of Nigeria has given an injunction restraining the CBN from enforcing the February 10 deadline.
The apex bank has continued to encourage the citizens to embrace the cashless policy as a way of reducing the hardships occasioned by the inadequate supply of the new naira notes in circulation.
Another customer who simply identified himself as Mr Bamidele said the company is obviously dissatisfying customers as I was at their Challenge Office this morning to recharge a pre-paid card initially, they said there was no network. After waiting for about 15minutes, they said the network has been restored.”
“They claimed they had been instructed not to collect the outgoing currency notes for payment. They also refused to take any form of e-payment.”
“After waiting for over 2 hours I had to leave without achieving my purpose of going there.”
Also, Ibrahim Temidayo who was on the quest of contesting the bill IBEDC served him as an unmetered consumer explained that his area of residence has in the last six months never had beyond 5 hours of daily power supply with many days gone without power supply at all.
Temidayo stressed that the bill stated that he was being “billed as a C12H category of consumer whereas his area at Danialu connected to the Danialu 11KV feeder was listed in the National Electricity Regulations Commission Order No/NERC/214/2020, titled Amended Order on the Capping of Estimated Bills For Ibadan Electricity plc. Estimated billing around the Danialu in Ilorin was categorized as D8H.”
He said “So IBEDC or it’s agents might have been ripping me and many unsuspecting residents of our hard earned income. That is why I must have a credible explanation on why NERC shouldn’t be notified of this flagrant rip off in the name of estimate billing”
When contacted the Head of Communication of the company, Mr. Asaju Kayode could not respond to calls.