…..Says, it loses 3billion to electricity thefts monthly
From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) on Wednesday said it will deploy technology to curb menace of electricity thefts by some customers.
The company also added that it loses over three billion naira every month to the electricity thefts by the customers.
The Head, IBEDC Customer Support, Mr Ayoola Adio stated this in Ibadan at the Electricity Consumer Complaint Resolution Platform. Ayoola lamented that the company run on deficit every month, and this is preventing the company from serving it’s amiable customer better.
According to him, these customers falls into the categories of those who don’t make payment on their bills or are not paying actual amount on their bills, those who bypass their meters, and some surcharge IBEDC among others.
He said: “energy theft is a major menace we have in the industry and it’s not limited to IBEDC alone. People are not paying their actual bills. They tamper with their metres to shortchange the company as some customers remove AC and other home appliances consuming light from their metres. Through this way, we have been losing a lot of money. We don’t even want it to look like exaggeration, we lose more than N3Billion every months. Some don’t even has meter at all, they connect directly to electric pole.
“First thing we do to curb the menace is sensitizing the people. And it’s not business as usual as we have let them know they will go to jail if they are caught. We have sent our patrol team out to sensitize and we are deploying technology, using smart metres to know when customers tamper with them.
Adio, who represented IBEDC Managing Director said the development is worrisome, and this necessitated cooperation between the company and electricity users to curb the menace.
He however appealed to people to pay their bill promptly, report any defaulter, and support IBEDC so as to have money to resolve issues affecting it’s customers.
“We are handling our customers well, we feel pains whenever customers come for complains because our duty is to serve them better, the major complains from our customers is over billing and the only solution to that is metering but we are trying to bridge the gap.”
“We want to sensitised our customers to desist, they should know that there is now a provision under the law that purnish violators or defaulters.”
In his remark, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Babatunde Irukera urged electricity consumers to contribute their quota towards ensuring adequate electricity supply.
He described the event as right step in right direction, saying the platform would give consumers opportunity to pour out their mind, interface with IBEDC on challenges facing them.
He said, “this platform will make the service providers to understand that their business is not just provision of electricity, but feedback from customers and demonstrate emphaty, it is in face of this we get better interaction on both side.”
“Customs experience in electricity has not improved over the years, if we fail to do the needful, we won’t be able to find solutions to challenges facing them.”