By Ayodele Oni
The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has declared that Electricity Distribution Companies would henceforth find it herculean to cheat electricity consumers in the State due to the enactment of a new law that shields them against brazen extortion.
The Governor revealed that the new law, now mandates the users to pay based on electricity used, thereby prohibiting the estimated billing system that subjects the citizens to outrageous bills monthly.
Oyebanji disclosed this at Omuo Ekiti, in Ekiti East Local Government Council on Wednesday, while commissioning the 33KV electricity network extended to communities in Ekiti East, Ayekire and Gbonyin Local Government Areas, that had been in total black out for over a decade.
The Governor said such ugly situation, whereby communities will be in perpetual darkness for years won’t reoccur in Ekiti again, particularly under his leadership.
Insisting that consumers of electricity are now well protected by law, Oyebanji said: “I have signed a new bill into law that will make it impossible for anybody to cheat electricity users.
“Let me also say openly here that the reconnection project was fully funded by the state government, the BEDC didn’t play any role in it.
“Estimated billing has been the problem, but if you pay for what you used, nobody will complain. The new law will never allow anybody to cheat us in Ekiti, because you will now be paying for what you use. That they will come and cheat us will not happen again.”
The Governor, who sympathized with the people for being plunged into unwarranted darkness for over a decade, said such tendency is capable of grinding the economic activities of the people to a halt.
“It is very bad that you were made to be in darkness for over a decade. We know the importance of light , we are not unaware that being cut off from the national grid can hinder economic growth of our communities.
“In concluding this project, we encountered a lot of challenges. Apart from the challenge we faced with the National Electricity Regulatory Commission(NERC), we also had other challenges to make this project successful. That is why we must protect all the facilities in our communities against vandalism.
“We did this because if we are able to solve the problem of electricity, our dams are functional and it will be easy for us to pump water into our reservoirs. There is a connect between the two.
“I want to appreciate the traditional rulers and other citizens for their calmness during the turbulent time. But try and protect those electricity installations.
“Let me give you assurances that your light will be regular and nobody can vandalize it . This ugly situation will never occur in our communities again.”
