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Daniel Adaji
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat says the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko Disco) issued him N29m bill for electricity consumption at his official residence in April — a 974 per cent jump from the N2.7m charged in March.
Hamzat, stated this during a roundtable between the Lagos State Government and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in Lagos on Monday, described the billing as part of the ongoing crisis of “crazy electricity bills” plaguing ordinary Nigerians.
“Last month, in my house — or the state house that I live in — the bill was N2.7m. This month, Eko DisCo sent us a bill of N29m,” he lamented. “I sent it to the commissioner for energy. It’s crazy.”
Even more frustrating, according to Hamzat, is the fact that he had already purchased a prepaid meter in a bid to avoid estimated billing, but the process of switching to the metered system has been fraught with delays.
“I actually procured a meter but to convert it is wahala,” he said, referring to the bureaucratic challenges in getting it activated.
Hamzat’s testimony comes just days after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) imposed a total fine of N628 million on eight DisCos — including Eko Disco — for breaching billing regulations and overcharging unmetered customers between July and September 2024.
The Commission found that the affected DisCos violated the cap on estimated billing, which is supposed to reflect the average consumption of nearby metered users.
The regulatory clampdown and Hamzat’s personal experience underscore widespread consumer dissatisfaction with the country’s electricity billing system.
“Our people are suffering because of estimated billing,” the deputy governor stated, citing another case where a tenant in the Coker Aguda area of Surulere was charged N2.8m for electricity, even though his annual rent is just N2m.
“How can the bill be more than the man’s rent for a year? Those are the challenges that we have,” he said.
Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the event, Hamzat applauded the ongoing efforts to improve electricity access in underserved communities, particularly the Lagos State–REA partnership aimed at delivering stable power via solar systems.
He praised the Commissioner for Energy, Biodun Ogunleye, for his role in facilitating the deal: “People that never thought they would ever enjoy stable electricity in their lifetime now have an opportunity,” Ogunleye said.
“I am delighted that REA is working with Lagos — because when you are not in Lagos, you’re not yet there,” he said.
Meanwhile, NERC has ordered that all customers who were overbilled during the affected period must receive credit adjustments by May 15, 2025.