A new electricity tariff hike, secretly introduced by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, effective from October 1, 2025, has sparked an outrage in Akure, the state capital.
The hike, described as unbearable generally by consumers, was allegedly implemented without prior notice or official communication from the company.
The development, as investigations showed, has left many households and businesses in shock, as power units purchased now for the same amount of money have reduced drastically.
Investigations showed that the hardest-hit areas include Alagbaka GRA, and Ijapo Estate/Ijapo Extension, where residents are lamenting the sharp and unexplained drop in the value of electricity units loaded on their prepaid meters.
For instance, one of the affected customers, Mr Adeola Ipinlaye, told our correspondent that he found it unbelievable when he recharged his prepaid electricity meter recently.
His words, “I used to buy N100,000 worth of electricity and got thousands of units.
“But when I purchased the same amount a few days ago, I only got around 300 units.
“It’s totally unacceptable and capable of putting more pressure on the already overstretched Nigerian masses.”
Also, another resident, Mrs. Kehinde, narrated how her household has been thrown into discomfort due to the drastic reduction.
She lamented, “The N10,000 I used to buy gave me over 200 units before, but now I got just about 44 units.
“To make matters worse, those 44 units finished within a week like a flash of lightning.”
The aggrieved customers have been confronting the electricity vending agents over the unexplained tariff hike.
When contacted for reaction over the sudden and allegedly unbearable tariff hike, top BEDC officials, declined comments.
However, one of the vending agents, who spoke to our correspondent in confidence, confirmed that customers have been confronting him over the reduction in power units noticed recently.
His words, “Customers have been giving me a tough time since the beginning of the month.
“Before now, N5,000 gave over 100 units, then it reduced to about 80 units. But now, we are getting only around 22 units for the same N5,000. It’s really bad.”
He said the increment caught everyone unawares and called on the Ondo State Government to intervene urgently to prevent further hardship.
He pleaded, “The government must step in and do something to ensure a reversal of this obnoxious increment.”
Already, consumer rights advocates and civil society groups in the state are said to be mobilising to petition the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for an immediate investigation and reversal of the tariff increase, which they described as exploitative and anti-people.
