The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has commenced metering of its customers in Sharada Small-Scale Industrial Estate in Kano State after three failed attempts to meter them.
This development was disclosed by the company’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Mohammed Kandi, in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Kano, on Tuesday.
“The Sharada Small-Scale customers have finally accepted metering after three failed attempts by the KEDCO to meter them.”
Kandi said the resisting customers, who were earlier disconnected for non-compliance, had now been reconnected through the intervention of Kano State Commissioner for Commerce and Industries, Ahmed Rabiu, Kandi said that KEDCO’s resolve to pursue its metering plans vigorously was in compliance with the directive of NERC to bridge the wide metering gap in the country.
“This is contrary to insinuations that the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) were comfortable with estimated billing which is responsible for low metering of electricity customers in Nigeria.”
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Kandi said the Federal Government, through Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), had mandated all DISCOs to meter customers in their networks.
This was also part of the performance agreement entered into after privatisation of the power sector in 2013.
The KEDCO spokesman, however, said the leaders of the Sharada Small-Scale Industrial Area, alluded to the fact that their members were not properly briefed on operations of the meter and its advantages to their businesses.
Kandi quoted the Kano Industrial Regional Manager in the company, Awwalu Yushau, as saying “In addition to the several meetings with the leadership of Sharada Small Scale area, the customers accepted metering because of the information made available to them,
“We took awareness campaign to customers in the area before we commenced metering operations, but to my greatest surprise, we met serious resistance from customers who claimed they hadn’t been informed of the metering exercise by their leaders,” Yushau said.
According to the Regional Manager, “the company will no longer tolerate the huge losses recorded due to energy theft on the Sharada/Dangote feeder which amounts to N80 million monthly.” (NAN)
