NERC assures AEDC energy consumers on metering

NIGERIAN Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday assured electricity consumers in Kogi State that the metering deficit being witnessed would be rectified by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) over the next three years.

The chairman/CEO of the commission, Prof James Momoh, said this in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital at the inauguration of the Lokoja Forum Office of the NERC.

According to him, AEDC that service Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa States and the FCT had over one million customers and a metering gap of 440, 000.

He said: “It is, however, gratifying to note that the Abuja Disco has commenced the procurement of Meter Asset Providers, combined with the implementation of their meter roll-out plan in accordance with the performance agreement signed with the government under the privatisation programme, monitored by the commission.

“This will inject an average of about 150, 000 meters into the Abuja Disco network annually over the next five years.”

However, he observed that the present metering gap would be closed within the next three years using the MAP regulation and their meter roll out plan.

ALSO READ: 40 killed in Kaduna

Momoh, however, said the customer complaints forum, which was established to resolve complaints that are not adequately addressed by the distribution company, was domesticated in terms of constituent members and location.

“Customers are first expected to forward their complaints in writing to the nearest business unit within their locality. It is upon dissatisfaction and delay in the treatment of their complaints that they are expected to escalate such complaints to the forum office.”

He explained that members of the forum were representatives of all the customer classes, industrial, commercial and residential as well as professional bodies drawn from within Lokoja and its environs.

The Managing Director/CEO of AEDC, Ernest Mupwaya, said the inauguration of the forum was a milestone to achieve service delivery in the state.

He said the move would provide an opportunity for customers that are not satisfied with how the company resolved their complaints.

He, however, said the organisation had put in place mechanism to minimise the complaints that would be getting to the forum.

Mupwaya explained that the AEDC has embarked on the training of its workforce on the rudiments of customer service, saying this would lead to an improved delivery in customer service.