Maroc - VERACITY.COM.NG - A La Une - 21/Oct 18:58

BEDC’s secret electricity tariff hike sparks outrage in Akure

Residents of Akure, the Ondo State capital, have expressed anger over what they described as a secret and unbearable electricity tariff hike allegedly introduced by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) effective from October 1, 2025.The development, which consumers said was implemented without notice or official communication, has left households and businesses frustrated as the number of power units purchased for the same amount of money has drastically reduced.Findings by our correspondent showed that residents of Alagbaka GRA and Ijapo Estate/Ijapo Extension are among those hardest hit by the sudden drop in value of electricity units loaded on their prepaid meters.One of the affected customers, Mr. Adeola Ipinlaye, said he was shocked by the change when he recently recharged his meter.“I used to buy N100,000 worth of electricity and got thousands of units. But when I purchased the same amount a few days ago, I only got around 300 units. It’s totally unacceptable and capable of putting more pressure on the already overstretched Nigerian masses.”Another resident, identified as Kehinde, said her family has been thrown into discomfort following the drastic reduction.“The N10,000 I used to buy gave me over 200 units before, but now I got just about 44 units. To make matters worse, those 44 units finished within a week like a flash of lightning,” she lamented.An electricity vending agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that customers have been complaining bitterly about the unexplained drop in power units.“Customers have been giving me a tough time since the beginning of the month. Before now, N5,000 gave over 100 units, then it reduced to about 80 units. But now, they are getting only around 22 units for the same N5,000. It’s really bad,” he said.He added that the increase caught everyone unawares and called on the Ondo State Government to urgently intervene to prevent further hardship.“The government must step in and do something to ensure a reversal of this obnoxious increment,” he pleaded.Efforts to get a response from BEDC officials were unsuccessful, as none of the senior staff in the company’s Akure office was willing to comment on the issue as of press time.Meanwhile, consumer rights groups and civil society organisations in the state are said to be mobilising to petition the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for an immediate probe and reversal of what they termed an exploitative and anti-people tariff hike.