The organised labour in Ekiti has called on Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), to ensure provision of adequate prepaid meters for its consumers in the state.
Mr Sola Adigun and Mr Kolapo Olatunde, Chairmen of Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) respectively made the call during a visit to the Ado-Ekiti office of BEDC at Ajilosun Area, on Friday.
The union leaders, while addressing BEDC management, also called for the improvement of electricity supply to the state as a way of justifying the monthly bills being charged consumers.
They said the call for massive metering of electrified buildings in the state was to avoid unwarranted extortion of consumers through outrageous estimated billings.
The unions said that the call was also to conform with the Federal Government’s directive on one- house -one -metre policy.
It would be recalled that the officials of the trade unions, had in August led a protest to BEDC, saying that the company was short-changing consumers in terms of electricity supply and billing.
Mr Sola Adigun, the NLC Chairman, on his part had during the visit, expressed concern over the delay in the distribution of prepaid meters to consumers in the state.
He decried the situation whereby some communities in Ekiti were being subjected to total darkness ranging between five and seven years.
According to him, such development was one of the factors contributing to poverty in the country.
“If every house is equipped with prepaid metres, it will check cases of over billing and also improve the income of the company.
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“The BEDC needed to justify money being paid to it by consumers through stable electricity.
“It is sad that what we are paying for is darkness, because hardly can you get a place or community in Ekiti where they enjoy 12 hours electricity daily,” Adigun said.
Contributing, Mr Kolapo Olatunde, the TUC Chairman, frowned at the underutilisation of the 132 kva facilities in Ekiti, saying the facilities had not been deployed to add value to augment electricity supply in the state.
In his response, Mr Olawale Adewolu, the BEDC Business Manager in Ekiti, promised that the company would improve on its services to consumers and fashion out ways to ensure that people have values for their monies.
He explained that prepaid metres are available for owners of new houses at BEDC.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the union officials also visited the Ekiti State Water Corporation, where they called for the speeding completion of all ongoing water projects in the state.
They claimed that insignificant percentage of Ekiti residents have access to potable water
