Power outage: EEDC decries activities of cable vandals in South-East

THE Management of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Enugu  has decried the alarming rate of destruction of electricity cables by vandals and meter by-pass, saying they are militating against steady supply of power to the Southeast Zone.

Addressing its customers at a town hall meeting in Enugu, the EEDC Head of Operations, Vincent Ekwekwu, also said that whereas there was the need to buy not less than 740 megawatts of electricity to ensure steady power supply, the Transmission Company from where they bought the power only supplied them with 220 megawatts.

He explained that it pained the company that it  could not supply its numerous customers with adequate power for their private and corporate needs.

The Head of Operations used the opportunity to inform customers that they were prepared to serve them better, pointing out that they would replace faulty transformers and service serviceable ones.

He charged customers to report anybody that told them to bring money to replace damaged transformers or other electrical installations.

“It is the responsibility of EEDC to replace transformers and effect repairs when they develop faults.  Help us to stop corruption among the staff of EEDC.  We don’t charge customers to do anything for us.  It is illegal,” he declared.

Earlier, the Head of Communications, Emeka Eze, said that they were prepared to provide metres for all their customers but pointed out that they had the challenge of customers bypassing their prepaid metres.

Eze lamented that in Awkunanaw District alone, over 80 per cent of prepaid metres were bypassed, hence the company lost revenue that should accrue to it.

“Over 80 per cent of prepaid meters in Awkunanaw are bypassed.  That’s part of the things delaying us.  We shall meter everybody but it has to be gradual,” Eze declared.

On the high bills people complain about, the Head of Communications explained that EEDC alone does not take the money but shares the proceeds with what he called ‘the Value Chain,’ that include the GENCOs and Transmission Companies, among others.

He said that they were prepared to improve on their customer service and for this reason, they have 147 customer service centres and established 24 hour call centres were customers  can call to lodge complaints over poor service and sharp practices.

Most of the customers who spoke at the occasion called for workable and functional prepaid meters, insisting that estimated billing is “evil” and should be discontinued.