Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has appealed to customers in its franchise area with outstanding bills to pay in order to avoid disruption in their power supply due to the ongoing mass disconnection exercise.
A statement signed by the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Engr. John Ayodele, indicated that the company had commenced mass disconnection of power supply following reluctance of millions of customers to pay their bills.
Ayodele lamented that the non-payment of outstanding bills was adversely affecting the company’s quality service delivery.
He stated: “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.
“As we all know there has been a major drop in the electricity generated across the country that has invariably caused the reduced power supply to our valued customers; this drop in generation from the GenCos is also traceable to their inability to pay for gas, which is denominated in dollars.
“When customers do not pay for electricity consumed, it has a ripple effect, as we cannot service the electricity value chain”, the COO added.
The COO, however, urged 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.
In addition, he advised customers to obtain their meters under the Meter Asset Provider Scheme (MAP) to end the lingering complaints over estimated billing regime.
Ayodele pointed out that the meters would record the customers’ accurate consumption and advised them to apply for a pre-paid meter if you are unmetered, adding that “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.”
The COO clarified that customers who purchased meters under the MAP scheme would get their monies back in due course through energy units.
On tariff rates that has been generating controversies between DisCos and their customers nationwide, the Ayodele explained that only the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has the power to determine what customers should pay for electricity based on tariff orders issued from time to time by it.
