Kaduna Electric has come under fire from residents of Millennium City in Kaduna over alleged forced metering and arbitrary migration to the Band A tariff.

The electricity distribution company was also accused of failing to meet the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)?s 20-hour daily supply benchmark for electricity to Mashi Road and Steven Shekari Estate after transferring them to the Band A tariff.

Chairman of the Ministerial Pilot Housing Estate Community Association, Millennium City, Yusuf M. Suraj, said the company disconnected the estate after residents rejected the new meters.

?They disconnected us because we rejected their meters. There?s nothing wrong with the ones we?re using,? Suraj said.

?There was no prior notice. Band A is meant for industrial areas, but our community is residential ? mortgage-financed homes, small business owners, and farmers. We told them we can?t afford Band A, that we can manage Band B, but they insisted.?

He said the community officially wrote to Kaduna Electric and also reported the matter to NERC, which advised both sides to reach an understanding.

?We told them clearly we don?t want Band A. We are not factories. They cannot force this on us,? he added.

Similarly, residents of Mashi Road and Steven Shekari Estate said they were moved to Band A without notice, even though they receive less than 20 hours of electricity daily.

One resident, Usman Rabiu, said:

?Our goods are spoiling in fridges. They said we are on Band A, but we hardly get 15 hours of light on a good day. Sometimes we go days without power. They bring light at midnight when no one can use it, and once it?s dawn, they cut it off. It?s frustrating.?

Responding, the Deputy Managing Director of Kaduna Electric, Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed, said the company?s actions were in line with regulatory directives.

?We have held several engagements with Millennium City residents,? he said.

?Under NERC?s directive, no less than 40 per cent of the energy we receive must go to Band A feeders. This is not a choice for customers. Band classification is based on feeder performance, not personal preference.?

Mohammed said the new smart meters being deployed are part of a World Bank?supported metering programme approved by NERC.

?Customers have no right to choose their band,? he stated. ?Metering is free, and the new devices are designed to prevent tampering and improve accountability. Where we find bypass or energy theft, we have a duty to protect the system.?

But residents insist that Kaduna Electric?s decision to enforce Band A tariffs in purely residential neighbourhoods, without providing 20 hours of supply, contradicts the same NERC regulation the company cites to justify the upgrade. (Nigerian Tribune)

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