Residents and business owners in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State have petitioned the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), demanding an urgent probe into what they described as “exorbitant billing and poor electricity supply” by Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) under the controversial Band A tariff system.
The aggrieved residents, particularly hoteliers and business operators in Effurun and the Ekpan axis, said despite being placed on the premium Band A category—which guarantees a minimum of 20 hours daily electricity supply—they rarely receive up to 10 hours of power, yet continue to face huge electricity bills.
Many of the affected businesses operate around the commercial corridor of Refinery Stream One along the NigerCat axis, an area regarded as a key economic hub that also hosts the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company and several industrial establishments. According to the residents, the situation is threatening the survival of businesses in the area.
Speaking on behalf of hoteliers through a petition, Managing Director of Lascurt Hotel, Austin Wareyai, accused BEDC of persistent overbilling, irregular power supply and violations of regulatory standards.
He described the situation as economically suffocating businesses in the area. “Our bills indicate consumption levels inconsistent with the quality and duration of electricity supply received,” Wareyai said, noting that the hotel’s electricity bills do not reflect the actual power delivered to the facility.
In the petition dated February 6, 2026, Wareyai raised concerns about what he called “persistent over-billing and meter over-reading,” despite an unstable electricity supply. He stressed that the billing pattern appears inconsistent with the Service-Based Tariff framework introduced by NERC, which requires customers to be billed strictly based on the hours and quality of power supplied.
“Under the NERC Service-Based Tariff framework, customer billing must be directly tied to the actual quality and duration of electricity supply delivered,” he said.
Wareyai also questioned the accuracy of the hotel’s electricity meter, stating that it continues to record unusually high energy consumption despite the use of energy-efficient equipment. “Our installed meter continues to record unusually high energy consumption despite the use of energy-efficient equipment,” he said, calling for an urgent technical inspection in line with the NERC Metering Code.
Another hotelier, Moses Okpobeku, also lamented that the cost of running hospitality facilities in the area has become unbearable. He said operators were initially assured of up to 20 hours of electricity daily under the Band A classification, but currently receive far less supply.
Beyond the billing dispute, the hotel management accused BEDC of delivering a highly unstable electricity supply characterised by frequent outages and low voltage.
“Power supply to our premises has been highly inconsistent and characterised by frequent interruptions,” the petition stated, adding that the facility regularly experiences low voltage capable of damaging electrical equipment.
Wareyai argued that issuing heavy electricity bills under such conditions amounts to charging customers for electricity that is not effectively delivered. “Billing customers heavily under such conditions amounts to charging for electricity that is not effectively delivered,” he said.
The hotel therefore demanded a comprehensive audit of its electricity billing and supply history to determine whether the billed energy corresponds with the actual hours of electricity delivered. It also urged BEDC to correct any overbilled amounts discovered during the review.
Residents and business owners further appealed to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Power, and Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, to intervene and compel BEDC to address the concerns.
They warned that if the situation is not urgently addressed, many businesses in the commercial city could shut down, leading to job losses and economic setbacks in the area.
While expressing hope that the dispute would be resolved amicably, the petitioners warned that failure to address their complaints promptly may force them to escalate the matter through NERC’s formal dispute resolution mechanisms.
