By Muhammad Jamil Gulma, Birnin Kebbi
The electricity consumers in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state have condemned the constant power outages allegedly facilitated by the distribution company, the Kaduna Electric in the town.
Some concerned residents of Nasarawa II in Birnin Kebbi in a letter dated April 1, 2023, and addressed to the management, also attributed the outages, in spite of bills payment, to alleged corrupt practices by the staff.
The letter jointly signed by M. B. Bello and Musa Bala, stated that although consumers have been paying their bills when due, but alleged that “the corrupt staff of the company divert such payments.”
According to the group, a random survey covering 458 consumers in 8 Distribution Transformers (DTS) from Nasarawa II Feeder, Birnin Kebbi, show that there were regularly payment of electricity bills without stable power.
“The result indicated that electricity consumers are up and doing, satisfactorily paying their bills as against the claim by Kaduna Electricity/ KAEDCO that consumers of electricity only pay 28 percent of their bills.
“It is interesting to note that the survey was carried out by ‘Concerned Citizens, Nasarawa II, Birnin Kebbi. To buttress their assertion that people are paying their bills, they have provided the random sample survey as evidence collected from households.
“All this, is as a result of general outcry and complaints from members of the public (esteemed electricity consumers) about frequent electricity outages in Birnin Kebbi and its environs.
“We, the concerned citizens in Birnin Kebbi and environs are disgusted by the incessant epileptic electric power supply; we are forced to confront the providers, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (Kaduna Electric) in its despicable service to the customers,” the letter reads.
The letter further expressed the consumers’ bitter objection to the Kaduna Electric’s “practice of arbitrarily delineating consumers into bands A, B, C and D, to illegally cut each category’s normal supply into certain long hours of darkness, causing long sufferings and hardships, especially now, without any regard to the consumers.”
It added that the long power cuts are carried out without due consideration or compensation in the consumers regular bills.
The residents described the alleged act as violation of peoples rights.
