Lagos deputy governor raises alarm over outrageous electricity bill surge from N2.7m to N29m

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, has decried the skyrocketing electricity bills being issued to residents by distribution companies, revealing that his own official residence was billed an astonishing N29 million in April — a sharp rise from N2.7 million charged the previous month.

Dr. Hamzat made the disclosure on Monday during a stakeholders’ forum on electricity challenges held on Victoria Island. The session included representatives from the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Lagos State Government.

Addressing the audience, the deputy governor underscored the widespread hardship caused by unreliable power supply and the controversial practice of estimated billing, particularly by Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko DisCo).

“People that are trying to survive, and the common denominator for them is power — they don’t have power. There are billing challenges. In fact, I’m a very good example,” he stated.

“Last month, in my house — or rather, the state house where I reside — the electricity bill was N2.7 million. This month, Eko DisCo sent us a bill of N29 million. I sent it to the Commissioner for Energy. It’s crazy.”

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Dr. Hamzat further revealed that he had personally purchased a prepaid electricity meter to avoid estimated billing, yet converting to the metered system had proven to be a difficult process.

“I bought a meter to say, ‘Look, don’t give estimated billing.’ But converting it has been a wahala (trouble),” he lamented.

The deputy governor also cited the case of a resident in Coker-Aguda, Surulere, who complained of receiving an electricity bill of N2.8 million — a sum even higher than his annual rent of N2 million.

“How can the bill be more than the man’s rent for a year? Those are the challenges that we have. Our people are suffering because of estimated billing,” Hamzat said.

The revelation has drawn public concern and renewed calls for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s electricity distribution system, including widespread metering and improved transparency in billing practices.