Bauchi govt owes us N2.3bn, JEDC manager declares

The disclosure was made by Regional Manager of Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC), Bauchi office, Auwalu Baba Jada in an interactive session with newsmen on Wednesday in his office while reacting to citizens’ outcry on lack of adequate power supply in the state.

He said that the state government does not pay more than 50 per cent of its bills as at when due saying that despite the huge unpaid bills owed by both government and residents, the company still supplies a minimum of six hours power in all parts of the state capital every day.

Baba Jada, however, advocated for the purchase of either prepaid or postpaid meters by consumers of electricity saying that they are more effective and efficient as people are only charged base on their consumption.

The JEDC Regional Manager further explained that prepaid meters are paid for before the installation while in postpaid meters, people pay at the end of the month according to what they consumed.

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On the disparity in the distribution of the electricity supply among the different areas of the state, Baba Jada clarified that some areas get less electricity because they have overloaded power transformers hence, the company switch them off for some hours of the day for the transformers ‘to rest’.

He also claimed that it is the duty of the Federal Government to provide the power transformers because they are expensive while JEDC provides only distribution transformers.

Some of the residents of Bauchi metropolis who were interviewed by Journalists promoting the reaction of the JEDC had lamented that the company has not improved its services since after the privatization of the defunct NEPA.

One of the respondents who is a public affairs analyst and politician, Malam Danlami Baban Takko, called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the power sector.

He alleged that in his area, they sometimes spend eight hours without power supply and still will be compelled to pay at the end of the month for the light they did not enjoy.

Another resident who is a tailor in Wuntin market, Bala Hassan, lamented that they hardly get supply during the day a development that has put them in a dilemma as they have to rely on generators to be able to work appealing that something urgent should be done by the concerned authorities.

As for Rose Amos, a hairdresser along Ahmadu Bello way, the irregular power supply has killed her market as the only option for her is a generator in order to be able to keep her regular customers and remain in business.