No Pre-Paid Meter, No Payment Of Electricity Bills,  Aba Landlords Tell Geometric

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Landed property owners in the commercial hub of Abia State have resolved to, henceforth, shun the payment of all electricity bills to the Aba Power Limited, a subsidiary of Geometric Power Plant.

They said they will no longer be paying for services not rendered by the power generating and distribution giant.

The Aba landlords under the auspices of Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association ALPADA, made known on Friday October 12, 2024, through  its President General Sir Alphosus Udeigbo ,at a media briefing in Aba.

Sir Udeigbo informed that the Association which arrived at the decision at its emergency meeting on Wednesday October 11,2024, has subsequently directed all its members without pre-paid meters in their  properties not to honour electricity bills any longer.

“The Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association met on Wednesday, October 10, and resolved that members will no longer be paying estimated bills from Aba Power Limited.

“The reasons are the same problems that we faced during the era of EEDC. The problems are even worse now.

“Apart from issuing out outrageously high estimated bills to the unsuspecting consumers, the services are nothing to write home about.

“Aba Power Limited will make electricity available for less than six days in a month ,and end up giving  to its consumers over-bloated bills at the  end of the month .

“So, we are now worse off than when EEDC was in charge. Yes, when EEDC was here ,the people were being inundated with crazy bills and unprecedented poor services.

“But the situation now under Aba Power ,which is a subsidiary of Geometric, is more worrisome. Epileptic power supply, estimated bills, and exploitations are rife .

“So, we the Aba landords have decided that only those with pre-paid meter should honour their obligations to Geometric”

According to Chief Udeigbo, ALPDA also resolved that if Aba Power wishes to disconnect its members ,it should do so without taking away the wires.

“Our position is that in the  face of  the present poor service delivery, high estimated bills, and exploitations,  if Aba power wishes to disconnect ALPADA defaulters ,it is free to do so ,..But they should not take away the service wires because experience has shown that the wires more often than not are sold by some unscrupulous staff of the company.

“If they (Geometric want to carry away the poles ,they should go a ahead and do so ,and return them when they are ready to serve the people well.” the ALPADA President General stated.

He  expressed regret that what the people were promised at the beginning is no longer what they are being served.

According to him, all the problems and shortcomings of the EEDC era have all resurfaced even more potently.

“We don’t know what are the problems. But, when this project was launched early in the year ,we had great expectations.

“But months down the line, we are not only disappointed. but feel betrayed. And worse still,  nobody cares to explain to the people what are the real problems.

“At a point, we ALPADA members approached Geometric seeking the constitution of a joint Committee to sit down and iron things out,and also to have insight into any problems hindering steady power supply in Aba and its environs.

“But as we speak, Aba Power Limited has continued to evade us on that.  Now we are fed up with the whole insincerity, abysmal service delivery and exploitative attitude of Aba Power Limited .

“Our position is simple: install pre-paid meters at  every consumer’s property,so that the people will be paying in line with the supply of power .

“With the pre-paid meter, the issue of exploitative estimated bills will be resolved. As it is now, those without Pre-paid meters are the once paying for the power consumed by customers with pre-paid meters” Udeigbo noted .

The Source reports that the Aba metropolis and nine other adjourning  Local Councils which hitherto were under EEDC ,were about two years ago transferred to  the operational control of Geometric Power, the county’s 12th power distribution company.

However, unlike others,it  also has  the license to generate its own power through its 188 MW capacity plant in the Osisioma area of Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia state.

High expectations of regular power supply to its area of coverage- the Aba Ring fence had trailed the commissioning of its  three  turbine powered plant early in the year.

But that great expectations appear to be receding fast amidst continued epileptic power supply.