… Demands refund of overcharged amount to UCH
A civil society organisation, Utilities Consumers Rights Advocacy Initiative of Nigeria
Advocacy, Ibadan, on Monday , petitioned the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over the disconnection of power supply to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan by the lbadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
It would be recalled that there has been back and forth over the disconnection and reconnection of UCH’s power supply over a huge amount of debt.
The copy of the petition was sighted by journalists in Ibadan.
In a petition titled: ‘’Re: Petition on Disconnection Of Power Supply To University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan-31/15/91/0398-01 M/N 55097866 BY IBEDC’’, and signed by its Principal Partner, Akinbodunse Shadrack, the CSO, called on the NERC to impress it on the IBEDC to reconnect the hospital to reconnect the life-saving facility.
The petition reads: ‘’This is a petition for reconnection of the above-named life-saving institution. UCH has paid the sum of N50,000,000, N55,000,00, N40,000,000 and recently N80,000,000 out of the outstanding sum of N494,756,871.78 and an overbilling of N88,343,889.96 was discovered between 2021 till date.
‘’ Please note that the recent tariff increase has revealed that UCH was wrongly placed on BAND A billing despite not having the required hours of supply for such BAND. Also note that part of this outstanding is a carryover from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) era.
‘’As you’re aware, such monies belonged to Nigerian Electricity Liabilities Management Company (NELMCO) and not lbadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
‘’Furthermore, we want to make it clear that IBEDC billing to UCH is incorrect with all these discoveries. I want to bring to your notice that UCH comprises three institutions -UCH as an hospital under the Federal Ministry of Health, College of Medicine which belongs to University of lbadan under Federal Ministry of Education and Hall of residence that is being occupied by workers of both institutions.
‘’IBEDC erred by disconnecting a life-saving institution, contrary to Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s NERC Consumer Protection Regulation Chapter 2 section 25(2). The disconnection is the third disconnection with the month of March, 2024.
‘’This disconnection has affected the smooth running of UCH, thus adversely affecting life-saving equipment used in care of UCH’s patient care and the hospital has recorded higher numbers of patient’s death since the disconnection’’.
‘’Our prayers are UCH should be reconnected without further delay and incessant disconnection should stop. IBEDC should refund all the overbilling as stated.
IBEDC should further refund based on the wrong service reflective tariff’’.