Electricity customers using prepaid meters under the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) are expressing increasing frustration over their inability to purchase electricity units to recharge their meters.
On October 29, the AEDC issued an apology to its customers regarding the ongoing difficulty in purchasing electricity tokens, attributing the issue to “an ongoing system upgrade” expected to be completed that week. They provided an alternative link for token purchases; however, as another week begins, the problems remain unresolved.
Customers continue to report challenges in obtaining tokens through the new link, while others who attempted to use the former purchasing method found their funds stuck without receiving their tokens.
Abdullahi Ibrahim, an AEDC customer from Lugbe, recounted his experience trying to recharge his meter last week. “When I used the mobile app to purchase the token, I was debited, but the token was not sent. I went to their office nearby, but they could not help either. I had to go three days without electricity to pump water and iron my clothes,” he said.
Another customer, Abbah Adeh, shared his frustrations with the alternative token purchasing link provided by AEDC, stating, “It took over three hours before the token was sent. AEDC needs to work on its system for prompt response. Even the PoS I went to couldn’t help, as many transactions were unsuccessful.”
Kunle Olubiyo, President of the Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, commented on the situation, warning that if the downtime persists, customers might resort to bypassing their meters, leading to increased electricity theft. He noted, “Customers are experiencing difficulties vending their prepaid meters, and the distribution licensees’ metering platforms seem to manifest glitches that reduce customer satisfaction and service delivery. This frustration is pushing many towards illegal alternatives.”
