By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Chief Operating Officer of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc, Engineer John Ayodele has disclosed that the company is to embark on a mass disconnection exercise following payment apathy by its customers
Engineer Ayodele who made this known in Ibadan on Monday while addressing journalists in Ibadan, said the payment apathy by the IBEDC customers, ” is adversely affecting quality service delivery” by the company.
The IBEDC Chief Operating Officer maintained that there has been a major drop in the electricity generated across the country, which has resulted in the reduced power supply to the company’s valued customers.
According to Engineer Ayodele,” this drop in generation from the GENCOs is also traceable to their inability to pay for gas, which is denominated in dollars.
” We are retooling our revenue drive strategy to ensure that the monies that have been left uncollected through huge debts, non-payment of bills, underpayment of bills, meter bye-passing, use of illicit meters and energy theft are raked in to enable us to meet our obligations to the customers and the market operators”, he said.
Engineer Ayodele added, “when customers do not pay for electricity consumed, it has a ripple effect, as we cannot service the electricity value chain”.
The IBEDC Chief Operating Officer however urged the company customers to pay their bills, saying the tariff was fixed by the some quarters and that the customers with huge outstanding should pay their bills, rather than dwelling on the new tariff.
He emphasized that only the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has the power to determine what customers should pay for electricity based on their hours of supply.
Speaking further, Engineer Ayodele tasked customers with disputed bills to lodge their complaints at the nearest IBEDC Office to seek redress or adjustments in cases where the claims are genuine and verifiable and that the customers should obtain their meters under the Meter Asset Provider Scheme (MAP) to put a stop to disputes over billing.
“The meters will record your accurate consumption, so please apply for a pre-paid meter if you are unmetered, if your meters are obsolete or faulty; and if you have a new building. Visit any IBEDC office in your location or go online to apply for the meters on msms.ibedc.com or www.ibedc.com”
Engineer Ayodele stressed that customers who purchase meters under the MAP scheme will get their monies back in due course through energy units.
