EKO Disco commences distribution of 200,000 free prepaid meters

The Management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC) has commenced the distribution of 200,000 free prepaid meters to customers within its network.

The management also said that over 138 transformers worth N700 million have been acquired to replace faulty ones within its network to boost supply during festive period.

Speaking during an inspection of the acquired meters and transformers on Wednesday, the Managing Director, EKEDC, Dr Oladele Amoda, stated that the company’s investors acquired loan to fund the acquisition of equipments that would improve the electricity supply within its network to its teaming customers during the yuletide season.

According to him, “the company is always thinking of how to satisfy its customers. The purchase of the new transformers is to ensure that our customers enjoy the yuletide season with quality supply.

“We have embarked on massive replacement of faulty transformers within the network, we expected customers to reciprocate this gesture by paying their bills. We also except communities who will benefit from the transformers not to see them as public property but as their own so that they can help us safeguard the transformers against vandalism by unscrupulous elements.”

The EKEDC boss said that the company had loss over N1 billion to various forms of energy theft and equipments vandalism in the last three years.

He said that issue of bye-passing of meter by customers was rampant within the network to avoid payment.

He said that EKEDC cannot continue to invest huge sum of money into network improvement and some people will be allowed to vandalise such equipments.

Amoda warned customers who are in habit of bye-passing meter or involving in any various energy thefts to desist, adding that the comp any will not hesitate to prosecute and publish names culprits in the dailies.

He advised customers with wrong connection leading to energy theft to report to the company before they are discovered and penalized.

He said that the company had invested over N13 billion on meters, adding that the company has also commenced installation of over 200,000 free prepaid meters to various customers within its network at no cost.

“We have just signed a partnership agreement with a global brand, Huawei of China and Mojec International meter manufacturer and this, we believe, will impact our service.”

“We have commenced a bill reconciliation and verification exercise tagged ‘Eko Customer Account Reconciliation Exercise.’ This is a way of repackaging energy audit to give it a caring face,” he said.

Amoda urged customers who had pay for meter under the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) scheme and yet to be metered to bring their documents for immediate meter installation.

He said that gas been a serious challenges to generating companies, adding that the EKEDC only received 200MW from the national grid instead of 1,300MW due to gas constraints.

He assured customers that issues associated with gas constraint would be address shortly, adding that government has tackled some of the bottle neck confronting the Transmission Company of Nigeria.