Power

UNWHOLESOME activities of vandals and inability of Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to provide Pre-Payment Meters (PPM) to customers have been identified as the major challenges hindering distribution of electricity to customers in North-East states.

 

Respondents to a survey conducted by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno,Yobe and neighbouring Jigawa, who also spoke on other problems, identified the two as the main factors.

 

Whereas customers harped on non-provision of PPM to check the problem of over-billing and frequent outage, officials of the DisCos complained of customers defaulting in settlement of bills and frequent theft of their facilities.

 

The officials said those problems were hindering the regular flow of power generated as the facilities served as the channels for the flow, and money from customers was needed to pay for energy secured for distribution.

 

The Bauchi Regional office of Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) said activities of vandals was affecting its effort at collecting and supplying electricity to its customers spread across the state.

 

Head, Network Engineers, Bauchi Region, Shehu Mohammed, told NAN  that some of the company’s equipment were being vandalised frequently, causing damage and power outage.

 

According to him, some areas experience load shedding due to the inability of transformers to pick two feeders at a time.

 

He said that the company ran at a loss as a result of customers defaulting in settlement of their bills.

 

Mohammed said requests by customers for PPM were increasing and being attended to.

 

Alhaji Ahmed Shehu, Chairman, Bauchi Ward Development Committee, said the issue of estimated billing was a source of concern to consumers.

 

He said that such billing often left doubts in the minds of consumers, who believed they were being short-changed.

 

Shehu said that such consumers insisted on provision of PPMs, which were not forthcoming.

 

Mrs Fatima Abubakar, a trader in Bauchi, said provision of PPM would reduce doubts surrounding the acceptance of bills by customers.

 

But Mr Emmanuel James, a welder in Bauchi, said the power supply in the town was commendable in recent times.

 

The issue of PPM was also raised by residents of Gombe, who expressed their displeasure with the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) for failing to provide them with same.

 

Usman Umar, a resident of Bagadaza community in the town, told. NAN that the continuation of estimated billing system that gave room for ‘crazy’ bills, even when other DisCos had started providing their customers with PPM, gave room for suspicion.

 

“ Every month, I pay bills for power that I did not consume. This is painful but that is the situation here,” he said.

 

Another customer, Malam Mohammed Rabilu, described the power supply in Gombe as ‘‘a unique problem”, claiming that other states were better off.

 

“They (JEDC) only distribute bills and not power; how can I be billed N8, 000 monthly and yet I can’t get 6 hours of power in a day”, he fumed.

 

Miss Rebecca Yakubu, a trader in Wuro Juli Community, a suburb of Gombe metropolis, echoed the same complaints of not having value for money paid as electricity charges.

 

Reacting to the complaints, Mrs Saratu Dauda, head, Public Relations, JEDC, Gombe office,told NAN that the Jos DisCo was not deliberately denying PPM to its customers.

 

Dauda stated that the meter roll-out for customers in Gombe State would soon commence, adding that all modalities were being put in place to ensure that the exercise was hitch-free whenever it commenced.

 

“We do not enjoy it that our customers are dissatisfied with our services, and we are really doing our best to see how we can bridge those gaps.

 

“To Gombe communities and populace of the state that are dissatisfied with such gaps, we are assuring them that we have ongoing plans to sensitise them better on the billing methodology.

 

“We have adopted the new billing system, which is basically based on the methodology given by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and we are working to ensure the commission’s directive is complied with.

 

“Some disCos have commenced, but the JEDC has not because of the unique nature of our business environment.

 

“ We are putting these modalities in place so that when we start, we will not have challenges,” Dauda said.

 

In Adamawa, Mr Kingsley Nkemneme, the Senior Corporate Communication Officer of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), listed non-payment of bills and theft of electricity facilities as some of the major challenges confronting the company in the North-East.

 

The YEDC is responsible for supplying electricity to Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and Taraba states.

 

Nkemneme also listed low cost of electricity tariff being charged consumers as another challenge affecting the business.

 

According to him, about 70 per cent of its customers do not pay their electricity bill, until they are coerced through disconnection.

 

“There is also the problem of electricity theft and meter by-pass by many customers,” Nkemneme said.

 

He said YEDC was doing its best to ensure steady supply of electricity and prompt response in rectifying faults whenever reported.

 

“We supply 15 to 20 hours of electricity, and sometimes even 24 hours power to our customers,” Nkemneme said.

 

On complaints of outrageous bill by consumers through estimated billing, Nkemneme said the company was doing its best and hoped  that the mass metering programme of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), would go along way in addressing the problem.

 

Alhaji Usman Maulud who spoke on behalf of Jimeta Progressives Forum, a group that has been having a running battle with YEDC in Yola over outrageous bills, said customers in Yola were okay with the steady power supply, but their major concern was outrageous bills.

 

“They are charging people very high and are reluctant to provide PPM as promised.

 

“People without meters who are in the majority, are being charged between N15,000 to N20,000 monthly, and most of those people, if provided with PPM, will pay far less than what they are being charged.

 

“Let customers have meters so that all this outrageous bill thing can be addressed. It will also help in proper regulation of power consumption.

 

“We have staged series of protest over that; the company is now registering people, promising to supply them meters. Let’s wait and see,” Maulud said.

 

In Yobe, one of the states under YEDC, Business Manager in charge of the state,  Mr Mahmoud Sajo, said the company had increased daily power supply to the state since Oct. 2018, when 330KVA line was launched by the Federal Government.

 

The Business Manager told NAN that customers enjoyed power supply for about 18 to 20 hours daily.

 

“The company faces no challenge in terms of distributing the power, except for some technical issues that occur inevitably from time to time”, he said.

 

According to him, with the current development, customers are having value for what they paid for.

 

“The number of complaints from our customers has reduced drastically and their response to payment has increased”, he added.

 

However, he called on those who engaged in illegal connections and defaulters, to desist from the act and comply with the laid down rules and regulations of the company for better services.

 

Some customers in Damaturu who spoke to NAN, also testified that there was positive development in power supply in the state.

 

Bashir Sulaiman, a Damaturu resident, said customers now enjoyed electricity supply for several hours,  and that the current was more powerful, compared to sometimes back.

 

Baba Ali, a barber, also said the stability of power had improved, but that the tariff had also increased.

 

However, electricity consumers in Dutse,Jigawa state,  decried excessive billing by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).

 

Some of them who spoke to NAN in Dutse, said they were being over-charged compared to what they consumed.

 

One of the complainants, Malam Ahmad Nasir, cited his case of over-billing.

 

“I am the only one living in my house and I have only two bulbs which are energy savers; no television, no air conditioner, only those bulbs – one in my room and in the toilet.

 

“When I go out in the morning, I return at 10 p.m and KEDCO usually brings bill of between N4,000 and 4,500 monthly”, he lamented.

 

Two other consumers in the state, Hassan Abubakar and Mohammed Salisu, said the company charged each resident in their neighbourhood between N5, 000 and N 6, 000 monthly, without adequate power supply.

 

They said when the over-billing became unbearable,they decided to remain without power for the past two years since they were not ready to be ripped-off indefinitely.

 

Also, in July 2019, some residents of Takur site, Mopol Base and Danmasars in Dutse LGA, besieged the regional office of KEDCO in Dutse, to protest what they termed as ‘crazy billing’.

 

Malam Yusuf Dasanin-Allah, who led the protest to KEDCO office, said that they were being billed arbitrarily, even when power outage was frequent.

 

Dasanin-Allah, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, alleged that the company charged each house between N8, 000 and N10, 000 monthly, with or without commensurate power supply.

 

“We are always surprised at the end of each month when the company gave us huge bills to settle,” he said.

 

Contacted for his comments on the issue, Mr Saidu Sambo, KEDCO Area Manager in Dutse, declined to speak.

 

Similarly, electricity consumers in Borno decried erratic power supply by the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) in the the area.

 

A cross section of the residents, who spoke to NAN in Maiduguri, also complained of outrageous bills issued by the distribution company.

 

Some residents of New GRA, Bolori, Gwange I and Gwange II areas of the metropolis, alleged that they had been living in darkness for some time.

 

Mr Aliyu Wakilamtu and Ali Goni expressed concern over the persistent power outage for the past four weeks in the GRA area of the metropolis.

He said that they had been experiencing total blackout due to breakdown of the obsolete transformer in the area.

 

“We have been in darkness for the past weeks and have lodged formal complaints to the YEDC but the response was discouraging.

 

“They claimed that the fault was from a transformer in the area, which could not be fixed over a long period of time,” said Goni.

 

Goni added that the situation had exposed them to difficulties and caused spending of much money on purchase of fuel to run generators.

 

On their part, Abubakar Kawu and Mrs Wawu Habu, complained about outrageous billings amid epileptic power supply.

 

Kawu alleged that he had lodged complaints with the YEDC over the high cost of energy charges but things had yet to change.

 

He called on the company to install new transformers, upgrade distribution lines and distribute PPM to consumers, to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the metropolis.

When contacted by NAN, Mr Usman Wakta, the Business Manager, YEDC office in Maiduguri, declined comments on the allegations, adding that only the company’s head office could speak to the press.

NAN

-Sep 29, 2019 @11:20 GMT |

 

Tags: debt hindering electricity distribution in North-East – NAN survey over-billing Vandalism