Electricity Consumers Decry Delay in Implementation of NMMP in Bauchi.

Electricity supply is viewed as one of the parameters used in measuring development of every society.

In view of this, residents in Bauchi State have accused Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) Company of extortion and unnecessary delay in the implementation of the federal government’s National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

Radio Nigeria correspondent examines the accusation and the implementation of the Federal Government National Mass Metering Programme in Bauchi state.

The National Mass Metering Programme, instituted in September 2020, was aimed at increasing the rate of metering, eliminating arbitrary estimated billing, reducing tariff collection losses, encouraging the local manufacturing of the meters and provision of the Prepaid Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

Some of the residents in Bauchi metropolis, Abubakar Musa of Danjuma Goje, Mubarak Umar of Bayan G.G. and Ibrahim Sulaiman of Yalwa claimed that the amount of money they have been paying monthly on the JED’s estimated billing was not commensurate to their consumption.

The residents expressed sadness over what they described as extortion and called on the company to install the prepaid meters in their areas which according to them was more friendly for the common man.

Other respondents, Aminu Aliyu of Unguwar Dim and a trader in Yakubun Bauchi road, Mukhtar Usaini called on the JED company to install the prepaid meters in their areas for them to justify their monthly spending on the estimated billing.

However, Ajiru Garba of Styer quarters who pays two thousand naira on monthly basis under the estimated billing system, kicked against the NMMP for fear of higher tariff.

When Radio Nigeria contacted some commercial consumers in the metropolis whose meters were installed in July, a trader Habibu Shitu and a Welding expert Muhammad Baban Abba expressed satisfaction that they now have no business with the JED staff who usually storms their area disconnecting their light on monthly basis.

They commended the federal government for mandating all DisCos across the country to install the meters to their customers and expressed optimism that the same would be extended to others across the country.

A Hair Cut and Laundry shop operators Abdulkarim Musa and Muhammad Ibrahim as well as a frozen fish seller Abdullahi Musa all in Dutsin Tanshi axis of the metropolis unanimously argued that they were more at peace using the prepaid meters because they spend less compared to the estimated billing system.

Reacting to the matter, the Regional Manager of JED in Bauchi, Auwalu Babajada described the allegations as baseless saying the company had so far installed twenty two thousand meters to customers and that the installation was being done in trenches depending on the availability of the meters at its disposal.

Babajada, who assured that by the first week of September, installation of another batch would take effect, appreciated the consumers for their patience and cooperation with the company and urged them to maintain the momentum.
The Regional Manager, revealed that all unmetered consumers would be metered accordingly.