By Dipo Olowookere
Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC), Mr Sam Nwaire, has disclosed that half of the firm’s residential customers on free meters.
Mr Nwaire made this disclosure recently at a town hall meeting with its customers under the Agbara-Badagry Business District in Lagos.
He said the company was working tirelessly to meet its five years metering plan, expressing optimism that it would be achieved.
However, he revealed that all its Maximum Demand (MD) customers, about 6,834, according to him, have already been metred since March 31, 2017 as directed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
“I can confidently tell you that all our maximum demand customers have been given metres as directed by the NERC. They are no longer being billed by estimation,” Mr Nwaire told the gathering, which involved stakeholders in the power sector.
Speaking on reason for the meeting, the EKEDC executive said it was to explain to customers the NERC directive on the controversial ‘no meter, no payment’ order.
He explained that the directive was meant for MD users of electricity across the country and not for residential.
But he said the company was “making efforts to provide meters for all our customers, we will continue to ensure the integrity of our bills and do everything within our mandate to comply with all NERC directives.”
Mr Nwaire urged the firm’s “non-MD customers to please avail themselves of the content of the directive and be rightly guided” and remain patient, promising they will be metred soon.
“Consumers should not misinterpret it to avoid paying for electricity already consumed,” he appealed.
Adedapo Adesanya