Members of the Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN), Osun State Chapter, on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo, the state capital, to express their grievances over what they described as indiscriminate extortion, harassment, and inhumane treatment of electricity consumers by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
The protesters, armed with placards bearing inscriptions such as “Enough of IBEDC Exploitation on Customers,” “Replace All Faulty Meters,” “Stop Supplying Substandard Meters,” “Band System is a Fraud,” “End Exploitation Over Transformers,” “Stop Delays in Meter Account Generation,” “New Account Billing is Fraud,” and “Upgrade All Meters Without Delay,” condemned what they termed the systemic exploitation of electricity consumers by the power distribution company in the state.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the Osun State LECAN Chairman, Prophet Michael Kayode Adebayo, warned IBEDC staff to desist from exploiting customers, stressing that such inhumane treatment must stop.
“We appreciate the presence of the press today. Standing with us in this protest is standing with the masses who continue to suffer under the weight of exploitation, harassment, and inhumane treatment at the hands of IBEDC,” he said.
Adebayo cited the Electricity Act of 2013, which clearly outlines the roles of Distribution Companies (DisCos), licensed contractors, and consumers. He accused IBEDC staff of overstepping their statutory roles, assuming responsibilities designated for licensed contractors, and using those positions to exploit residents.
“We are now at the mercy of IBEDC workers just to get a meter — a responsibility that should fall within the purview of licensed contractors. These workers have instead created barriers, imposing outrageous conditions and fees on customers,” he alleged.
He further claimed that new customers are often charged as much as N100,000 in unexplained debts before being connected to the grid. According to him, these fictitious debts are transferred to customers’ prepaid meters, forcing them to pay for electricity they never consumed.
He added that faulty prepaid meters are not replaced by IBEDC, and instead, customers are compelled to purchase new ones or face being placed on estimated billing, which often leads to crippling debts. He also lamented that customers who submitted their meter cards for upgrades have yet to get them back, describing the practice as illegal.
Adebayo described the “Band A” electricity classification system introduced by IBEDC as ineffective and fraudulent. He further alleged that IBEDC staff demand illegal payments before connecting new or replaced transformers to the national grid, even after residents have spent their own money on installation.
Outlining their demands, Adebayo said IBEDC must stop exploiting innocent customers, especially during the current economic hardship. He insisted that all fraudulent charges and debts for unrendered services must be discontinued.
He added that IBEDC must restrict itself to its statutory role as defined by the Electricity Act and refrain from impersonating licensed contractors. He also called for the immediate distribution of prepaid meters to customers who paid for them in 2015 and 2016, without further delay. He concluded by calling for an end to what he described as “rascality” among IBEDC staff and management.
In a separate interview with our correspondent, Deacon Oyedokun Victor and Mr. Kayode Ogungbile expressed their frustration over what they described as the deliberate hardship inflicted on customers by IBEDC.
They lamented the excessive delay in getting prepaid meters, noting that the process, which should take only a few weeks, often takes several months. According to them, even after procuring a meter, customers still wait endlessly for IBEDC to generate activation codes.
“This is unprofessional and unacceptable. It subjects citizens, especially in Osogbo and surrounding areas, to unnecessary stress and economic hardship,” they said.
They called on the government to urgently intervene and resolve the persistent issues surrounding meter acquisition, code generation, and what they described as fraudulent practices by IBEDC. They warned that failure to address these issues could lead to serious unrest and a potential breakdown of law and order between disgruntled customers and IBEDC officials.
In response, IBEDC spokesperson in Osun, Kike Owoeye, refuted the allegations, stating that customers are not billed before connection. She explained that in some cases where electricity is used during building construction, billing may occur after the customer consents to connection through a submitted form, but such cases can be addressed through established resolution and adjustment processes.
Regarding metering, Owoeye said IBEDC continues to provide meters to customers with verified proof of payment and encouraged those with genuine documentation to come forward. She noted that there have been attempts to fraudulently use a single receipt for multiple meters, which are currently under investigation.
She also addressed the discontinued card reconfiguration program, describing it as an amnesty initiative with a clearly communicated deadline that has since expired.
On faulty meters, she stated that IBEDC investigates the cause, and if it results from customer misuse, the customer is responsible for the replacement.
If the fault is due to a manufacturing defect, IBEDC replaces the meter within a specific timeframe. To maintain electricity supply during the replacement process, affected customers are temporarily placed on NERC-approved capped billing.
Owoeye reaffirmed IBEDC’s commitment to transparency, customer service, and regulatory compliance, and urged customers to engage through official channels for any concerns or clarifications.
