KEDCO Groans as Electricity Consumers Owe N17.6bn

By Adedapo Adesanya

The management of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) said it was yet to collect over N17.6 billion owed by energy consumers in its coverage areas.

KEDCO supplies power to residents of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa and the N17.6 billion is the outstanding electricity bills for the whole of 2020.

The Head of Corporate Communications at KEDCO, Mr Ibrahim Sani Shawai, in a statement disclosed that “the uncollected bills was as a result of zero payment, under-payment, half payment and part payments from our numerous customers and this often leaves huge outstanding which has accumulated to the above sum.

“The huge amount in the outstanding above if paid would aid KEDCO in its quest to make service delivery with regard to power distribution better and more effective in the interest of customers.

“We are encouraging customers to kindly pay the outstanding bills of 2020 and to also know that in 2021, KEDCO will no longer accept any of the above-listed payment norms by customers as payment shall only be accepted in full.

“We are in business and we are also accountable to other partners financially and the expectation for KEDCO from the market is 100 per cent remittance.”

The statement also quoted the Managing Director of the distribution company, Mr Jamil Isyaku Gwamna, as urging customers to “pay their outstanding as well as current bills in same measures as what is required of KEDCO to remit to the market to guarantee satisfaction to all our partners.”

According to Mr Gwamna, “KEDCO would not relent in its efforts to give maximum satisfaction to our customers in line with our priority as a customer-centric organization.”

The DisCo had emphasised that the business of power is a chain reaction that needs all partners to meet their obligation for others to meet theirs, and appealed to its customers to help provide improved services by paying their bills.

KedCo has always lauded the tremendous improvement in power supply in its franchise states and hopes to continue with that improvement to further give them satisfaction and value for their money in line with its customer-first priority.