“Now beyond our control,” What Dr. Sanda, customers said at the Lekki Customer engagement forum, which coincided with the EKEDC’s Energy Theft Awareness Week
Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has expressed concerns over the rising cases of energy theft, meter bypass, and unauthorized connections in the Lekki district of Lagos state and has therefore vowed to take legal action against individuals or groups caught engaging in the activities.
Dr. Tinuade Sanda, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), made this known in a keynote address at the customer engagement forum at Novatel Hotel, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, Lagos on Thursday.
Platforms Africa reports that the Lekki Customer engagement forum coincided with the EKEDC’s Energy Theft Awareness Week.
According to Sanda, energy theft has continued to negatively impact the supply and distribution of power in the area with debilitating consequences.
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She also mentioned that the management of EKEDC is working with the police and communities’ vigilante to reduce vandalism, adding that the DisCo has arrested many of the vandals who are currently being persecuted and information about these people is in the mass media and the newspapers.
The MD who was represented by Ms. Catherine Ezeafulukwe, the Chief Customer Experience Officer, also condemned the illegal activities of ex-officials of EKEDC who are found to have been involved in defrauding unsuspecting customers in the Lekki-Ajah axis.
According to her, the management of EKEDC has taken actions including suspension and dismissal of errant staff members, and is committed to arresting the criminals and handing them over to law enforcement officers for onward prosecution.
EKEDC MD therefore urged customers to help identify the culprits and expose them to the company as fast as possible.
She said, “This act is now beyond our control because the action is common among some of our ex-officials who no longer work for the organization, but have a clear understanding of the power network in the area.
“We are committed to arresting these criminals. At the moment, we are devoting resources to cleaning up the system, and that is why once these criminals are reported to the authorities, we will follow up on prosecution in the court.
“The fact is that over 80 percent of these criminals are our old and dismissed staff. We need the cooperation of the general public to help us identify and hand them over to the Police authority. It is not in our interest to allow unscrupulous elements to continue to thrive by defrauding our customers.” she said.
Reacting to the concerns being raised about the high tariff, Ms. Ezeafulukwe emphasised that it is unfair for customers in the area, who are enjoying almost 24 hours of electricity per day, to be complaining about high tariffs and bills for the energy they consume.
She said, “It is unfortunate that affluent citizens who enjoy almost 24 hours of electricity, after using energy-consuming home appliances and equipment such as water treatment plants, would come out to complain about high bills.
According to her, electricity is no longer a public service. She noted that the DisCos are owned by private investors, and that they also share the obligation to pay for the quantum of energy supplied into their network at the end of every month.
Ms. Ezeafulukwe emphasised it is an established fact that power from the grid is cheaper than the cost of powering homes and offices with diesel-generating sets. She noted that it is unfortunate that many customers are not willing to pay for their consumption.
She said, “This is why we are struggling as an electricity distribution company, to recoup our bills. To address this issue, we have implemented a policy requiring all customers on distribution transformers to pay up to 50% of the energy consumed in a particular period before they can enjoy more service.
“EKEDC has continued to invest in distribution equipment and infrastructure to improve services, but customers must be willing to pay for the energy they consume.
The Chief Customer Officer commenting on the new rollout of prepaid meters under the Meter Assets MAPs) disclosed that EKEDC has commenced aggressive metering of all its customers who have paid for the facility.
She observed that the process was suspended the make adjustments for the order by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to increase the price of the prepaid meters due to the inflation rate and foreign exchange volatility.
She said in the last two weeks, the management of EKEDC has rolled out the processes and affirms that the company is back on track to complete both old and new registration.
She said, “We have started working aggressively with our vendors and we assure our esteemed customers that between now and the end of the year, we are going to see a massive improvement in our metering system.
“We have signed up more engagement with new vendors. We have more MAP contractors than we used to have in the past. We are really assuring that between now and the end of year we are going to close the gap of metering requests that we have today.
“It is also to our advantage that our customers are metered. This would enable us to account for every energy that is consumed by customers. We can then reduce the energy theft within the system.
The EKEDC Chief Customer Care Officer further emphasized that the primary objective of the customer engagement forum in Lekki district is to enhance the quality of supply to the customers.
She said, “We have achieved this by listening to customer feedback, identifying areas of improvement, and working to ensure better outcomes. Even when customers criticize the company, it is not all negative; it serves as a catalyst for improvement.
Ezeafulukwe therefore noted that the company’s major goal is to impact the quality of life of the customer, and many customers have indeed noticed significant improvements from last year to the present day.
Engr. Oluwafemi Olaoye, the General Manager Technical of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), addressed the discrepancies in power supply in some areas versus others.
He explained that feeders in different locations are classified into different categories and bands, ranging from Band A to E. Each band has a specific hour of the day when electricity is supplied on those feeders.
Olaoye further asserted that it is not accurate to claim that the DisCo is being unfair to some customers and giving preference to others over them.
Consequently, he stated that EKEDC has a mechanism in place to evaluate energy consumption in different bands, and noticeable errors will be addressed.
Uche Iyanko, the Power Committee Chairman for Lekki, commended the efforts of EKEDC and its customers for their successful and stable relationship spanning over a decade.
Iyanko also praised the progress made in electricity supply in the Lekki Ajah axis over the past decade but called for further improvements in service quality to match the area’s economic importance.
He highlighted that the Lekki axis is the most important urban center and economic hub in Nigeria, including Victoria Island, Lagos Island, Lekki, and Epe.
Iyanko emphasized the need for high-quality service in the area, as it is a highly viable and economically stable district. He noted that while cable and transformer purchases have improved over the past ten years, the actual service provided has not met expectations.
The Chairman, Power Committee Chairman for Lekki called for continued efforts to improve the quality of life in the Lekki-Ajah axis. He emphasized that the Lekki and its environment should not be outdone by other regions such as Cyprus and Greece, and that 24-hour electricity is essential to match advanced societies of the world.
Iyako also highlighted the importance of power in making places like the United Arab Emirates better and called for a similar transformation in the Lekki-Ajah axis.
He noted that the commitment of EKEDC to improve electricity in the Lekki axis would lead to an economic boom, creating employment opportunities and reducing insecurity and crime in the society.
The Chairman, Power Committee Chairman for Lekki further stressed the need for effective communication between the utility company and customers to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
To achieve these goals, Iyako called for collaboration and information sharing among stakeholders to ensure a seamless migration for customers on the STS TID rollover system.
He also urged the dissemination of information to address concerns raised over upgrading customer meters to the new Standard Transfer Specification (STS).
Teniola Jayeola, another stakeholder in the Lekki Customer Forum, praised the EKEDC for organizing the forum, which according to her has provided customers with the opportunity to express their concerns and discuss relevant issues within the Lekki area.
According to her, the forum has been highly interactive, and participants have learned a lot from the discussions.
Mrs Jayeola advised EKEDC to continue its efforts, and therefore charged customers in the Lekki axis to be patient and cooperate with the management of the DisCo to improve services in the area.
Commenting on the issue of power theft, Jayeola urged customers to resist the temptation to bypass their meters and encourage peer theft, warning that the illegality is affecting everyone in the area.
Jayeola therefore emphasized the need for customers in the Lekki axis to understand the situation and support EKEDC in addressing the issue.
