Innovation In Electricity Consumption That Is Prepaid Metre.
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Thursday (Eke)03-04-2025.
A 3-Phase Prepaid Metre was installed for me yesterday, Wednesday (Nkwo) 02-04-2025 by Aba Power Limited, at a cost of N236,500.00.
My wife, Lady Anthonia Ubani, had paid for it at Eziukwu-Aba branch of Zenith Bank on Tuesday (Orie) 11th March, 2025, while I submitted receipt of the payment to Customer Care Unit at the Headquarters of Aba Power Limited the following day, Wednesday (Afor) 12th March, 2025. I was told the Metre would be installed within a period of 10-working days.
I had done my simple arithmetic, that excluding Mondays that have ‘K leg’ in the South-East, the 10- working days will not exceed Thursday (Orie) 27th March, 2025. But that was not to be.
On Tuesday (Afor) 1st of April, 2025, I directed a written complaint to the Chairman/CEO of Aba Power Limited, Professor Barth Nnaji, informing him that his Company had reneged on her obligation to me and I also stated that if an electric bill would be given me for the Month of April, 2025 based on Estimated Billing, that I would not pay and would most probably take a legal action against his Company.
Spontaneously, Prof Nnaji responded by thanking me and also went ahead to assure me that he would direct a team from Aba Power Limited to quickly address my issue.
By yesterday, Wednesday (Nkwo) 2nd April, 2025, barely 24 hours after my exchange of communication with Professor Nnaji, a team from Aba Power Limited, led by Engr Michael Emmanuel, came to my house. It successfully worked, even in the rain, to make sure my 3-Phase Prepaid Metre was installed. The rain was heavy and accompanied by serious cold. Fortunately, my bar had some good quality drinks and, so, the effect of both the rain and cold was reduced to a mere insignificance.
Introduction of Prepaid Metre in the dynamics of electricity consumption by the Aba Power Limited is like a revolution that has come to stay with consumers in Aba Ringed Fence. It could compared to the coming of the White Man in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The earlier the innovation is accepted and embraced, the better.
There is, however, an important issue that should be addressed by both Aba Power Limited and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. Since the Prepaid Metre is the property of Aba Power Limited, it will be both morally and legally expected that any consumer that was in arrears in payment of electricity bills and eventually pays for the Prepaid Metre should be accorded the status of having cleared or, al least, reduced his debt by virtue of the payment he or she made on the Prepaid Metre.
By simple illustration, if a Consumer that was owing, for instance, N230,000.00 has paid N236,500.00 for the Prepaid Metre, the N6,500.00 above what the Consumer was owing should be regarded as a Credit Balance to the Consumer.
It will be abnormal and unjustifiable to still require or even compel such a Consumer who has paid for a property that wholly belongs to Aba Power Limited to still go ahead and pay for the N230,000.00 he was owing before paying for the Prepaid Metre.
The above scenario is one area that the Management of Aba Power Limited has to give a critical attention. It is an aspect that could generate a lot of litigation against the Company.
Meanwhile, the Transformer at Adaelu Junction in Osisioma blew up yesterday, leaving Electricity Consumers in the area in total darkness. It is speculated that the Transformer’s ‘Earthing’ has been having some faults. It is hoped that Aba Power Limited will not leave the problem unattended to.
