Residents of Byazhin, Kubwa and Dei-Dei communities in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have raised concerns over what they described as persistent and excessive estimated electricity billing, despite poor and irregular power supply in their areas.
The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with LEADERSHIP in Abuja, accused the electricity distribution company of imposing arbitrary charges on households and small businesses without reflecting actual consumption.
Many of them said the situation had become increasingly unbearable amid rising living costs, adding that the lack of prepaid meters had worsened their financial burden.
They called on the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to intensify efforts toward the mass installation of prepaid meters to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in billing.
A resident of Dei-Dei, Suleiman Sani, described the estimated billing system as exploitative and disconnected from the realities of erratic power supply.
“Sometimes, we stay without power for days, yet the bills still come with huge amounts,” he said.
Sani said many households were already struggling with economic hardship and could no longer cope with rising electricity charges, stressing that prepaid meters would help consumers track actual usage.
“I believe if we have the prepaid meters, the charges will be less because it will only go high when there’s light and you use appliances,” he added.
Another resident, Okechukwu Anthony, also criticised the continued reliance on estimated billing, describing it as unfair to low-income earners already affected by inflation.
He said the absence of prepaid meters had created inconsistencies and disputes between consumers and electricity providers.
“Many residents are being charged for electricity they did not consume,” he said, adding that accurate billing would only be possible with metering systems.
In Kubwa, a restaurant operator, Comfort Agbo, said rising electricity costs were affecting small businesses and reducing profitability.
Agbo urged AEDC to speed up the rollout of prepaid meters in underserved communities, noting that unpredictable billing patterns were worsening operational costs.
“Prepaid meters will help consumers monitor their usage and avoid exploitation through estimated bills. The bills are too high for small businesses like mine. I spend more on electricity and fuel, leaving little or no profit,” she said.
She also called for improved electricity infrastructure and better service delivery across the power sector to restore public confidence.
The residents collectively maintained that prepaid meters would ensure fairness, reduce disputes, and encourage responsible energy use.
They warned that if urgent steps are not taken to address estimated billing and poor supply, many households and small businesses risk deeper economic hardship.
