The Edo State Government has launched a statewide exercise to end bulk electricity billing and transition communities to individual customer accounts and, eventually, individual electricity meters.
According to The Punch, the State Commissioner for Power, Paul Usenbo, disclosed this on Thursday during a stakeholders’ engagement in Benin, describing the initiative as a major step towards promoting transparency, accountability and sustainability in electricity billing and consumption.
Usenbo explained that many communities in the state currently receive electricity bills collectively, leaving individual households without separate customer accounts and meters.
He noted that the arrangement makes it difficult to determine how much electricity each household consumes and establish direct relationships between customers and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company.
According to the commissioner, the exercise will involve identifying and verifying electricity consumers, creating individual customer accounts and eventually providing meters to eligible households.
“Individual metering provides greater transparency in consumption and billing, while giving customers proper visibility and control over their electricity usage.
“The state government has launched a statewide debulking exercise. It is aimed at transitioning communities from bulk electricity billing to individual customer accounts and, ultimately, individual metering,” he added.
He said the success of the initiative would depend on the cooperation of the electricity distribution company, community leaders, residents, local government councils, regulatory agencies and the Edo State Metering Programme.
Usenbo said the state government would coordinate the exercise, facilitate engagement among stakeholders and help resolve issues within its jurisdiction, while BEDC would handle customer enumeration, verification and account creation.
He added that the Edo State Metering Programme, working with private-sector partners, would provide opportunities for eligible consumers and communities to participate in the metering scheme.
The commissioner urged residents and community leaders to provide accurate information, cooperate with officials during the enumeration process and report legitimate concerns to ensure transparency and efficiency.
He assured residents that the government would protect their interests and hold stakeholders accountable, stressing that the exercise would cover all 18 local government areas of the state.
“The reason for this exercise is to create room for accountability, transparency and, most importantly, sustainability.
“Metering is the heart of ensuring that people can get efficient and accountable power usage, while at the same time ensuring that service providers and operators get their right remuneration,” Usenbo stated.
He expressed confidence that the initiative would improve electricity billing, promote fair consumption practices and help bring an end to bulk billing across communities in Edo State.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Edo State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Shittu Shaibu, urged electricity providers to ensure that customers received power supply and encouraged residents to allow their homes to be metered.
Similarly, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of BEDC Subco, Henry Onovwaka, said the company was ready to support communities willing to switch from bulk billing to individual metering.
He pledged that the company would provide the necessary prepaid meters to communities prepared to make the transition.
