From Success Damian, Lagos
Landlords and Tenants in Ijora area of Lagos State, have embarked upon a peaceful demonstration to protest the exorbitant tariff by the Electricity Distribution Company of Nigeria.
The group under the aegis of Landlords and Tenants Association of Nigeria also disclosed that the epileptic power supply by the DISCOs has become unbearable and has no bearing with the high tariff being charged, hence the peaceful protest.
The group in their large numbers marched from Ijora office of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company down to Matono EEDC office along Mosafejo/Alaba Road in Ifelodun Local Council Development Area (LCDA) chanting and urging residents to pay N600 per room, per month.
The chant of ‘no light, no money,’ ‘small light, small money’ rented the air.
Speaking to the Media, Prince Saidi Ojora-Akiolu who introduced himself as the President, Landlords and Tenants Association of Nigeria said the group is fighting the DISCOs for the increase in tariff and epileptic power supply “My association covers the whole of Nigeria, and we are fighting the DISCOs for the increase in tariff.”
Ojora-Akiolu revealed that against all assurances the DISCOs have unilaterally increased the tariff without consideration of the feelings of the masses “On Radio programme the Media asked them, are you increasing tariff, they said no, but behind our back they went and increased the tariff by N31.75k from N24, and the hours they are given us does not commensurate with what they are giving us for current charges, and they only give us 30 minutes, one hour, sometimes, highest four hours in a day: two hours in the morning, one hour in the afternoon and one hour in the night, that is all.”
He stated that the DISCOs have not told them how they arrive at their service charges “And again they don’t bring that light or energy on time throughout Nigeria, we would continue to tell our people who are landlords and tenants association in Nigeria to pay N600 per room because they have not told us how they are calculating our bill or how they are calibrating their meter.
“We have asked them several times how are you calculating our bills, they said that is their own secret, and there is no secret in public service, you must come open and tell us how you are calculating it. So with that amount, they have not been able to confirm to us how much they are giving us. That is why we are saying we don’t want their services for now.”
On the helplessness of the community when officials of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company come with their ladder to cut power supply, Akiolu said, the community should call the taskforce. “Call our taskforce, we have taskforce “The Taskforce will come to the place and block them and tell them to come down from the ladder and go to their office and stay there.
“For your information, we are in court, all status quo should remain until judgement is given at the Lagos High Court at Ikeja before Honourable Justice Akapu. So until that is done, that can determine what we are to pay and what we are not to pay, that will be determined by the court.
“So when we have a fair trial we will know who is guilty. We have gone to court; this week will make it the 19th time of taking them to court, this 19th time we are still going to fight them. They have taken us to court severally on their own charges which they could not penalize us, not once, more than four times and we won the cases all the four times, we are going to get another judgement this week. When we collect it together, we make sure we sue them for defamation of character and insulting the community,” Ojora-Akiolu.
