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Tag: Ernest Mupwaya

  • AEDC requires $150m to install meters for customers – MD

    AEDC requires $150m to install meters for customers – MD

    Abuja Electricity Distribution Company ( AEDC ) says about 150 million dollars is required to finance metering of  electricity customers  in its coverage areas of Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ).

    AEDC’s Managing Director, Mr Ernest Mupwaya, said this while making a presentation to House Committee on  Privatisation, who was on oversight visit to the company.

    Mupwaya said  the huge cost of metering was one of the challenges to mass metering of all the customers.

    He, however, said the company had a target of installing 120,000 meters yearly, adding that 146,000 meters had been installed so far.

    He told the  house committee  members that  AEDC was in the final process of  procuring another 320,000 meters  to accelerate  metering of  residential  customers.

    On Large Power Users (LPU), he said AEDC  had successfully  installed meter for all the 4,000 LPU customers; installed a technology to improve security and tampering detection on the equipment.

    He also said that the technology was designed to help monitor quality of power supply and power flow to the customers.

    According to him, the company has installed network capacity of about 870 MW above 710 MW peak power network received, adding that it has capacity to receive more power across its franchise area.

    He also said AEDC had also reduced its technical and commercial losses from 56 per cent at inception to 44 per cent in Dec 2017.

    Mupwaya further disclosed that the company had replaced and installed 630 faulty distribution transformers, totaling 208 MVA at the cost of N903 million to ensure improved services to its customers.

    He said that the company had consolidated its vending system into three separate systems.

    This, he said,  was designed to ensure increased payment tracking, flexible electronic solutions and convenience vending at any location, irrespective of meter type, brand or location.

    Earlier, House Committee Chairman on Privatisation, Ahmed Yerima, represented by Shadima Mutiu, said the committee was aware of the challenges faced by DISCOS  in the country.

    He, however, said the oversight visit was to ensure that objective of privatising the sector by  Federal Government was being  archived, especially in delivering power to Nigerians.

    Yerima said the visit was to ensure the DISCOS performed their duties and lived up to the terms of  the agreement  reached in the privitasation documents.

    According to him, part of the agreement is that AEDC reduces power theft, either technical or commercial.

    “We expect that you overhaul your obsolete equipment; we expect that you have metered majority of your customers.”

    He said it was important that Nigerians experienced the benefits of privatising the sector.

    He, however, said  the committee members were impressed  with the  level of achievements by AEDC  in its franchise areas.

    He urged AEDC to always present its operational challenges to the House for possible ways of resolving the issues.

    Yerima said the house would collaborate with the company, with the support of the executive, to help resolve challenges like energy theft, debts owed by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through legislation.

    High point of the visit was the inspection of some of the facilities in the company by the committee members.

    NAN

  • AEDC loses N500m to vandalism

    AEDC loses N500m to vandalism

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, said Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) lost over N500 million to activities of vandals in Abuja, Nasarawa, Kogi and Niger from January to date.

    Idris made this known while inaugurating the Anti-Electricity Vandalism Response Squad (AEVRS) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    He said that 233 cases of vandalism were recorded in the area during the period.

    He, however, said that over the years, the police did a lot to prevent vandals from destroying electricity installations across the country.

    “With the worsening state of the situation, it has become expedient to urgently develop an improved strategy to better protect the nation`s critical electricity infrastructure,” the police boss said.

    He added that the creation of AEVRS became necessary because the traditional methods deployed were not enough to adequately guarantee their safety.

    He explained that the unit was specifically dedicated to the protection of electrical installations among others.

    Idris said that to ensure that no part of the country was left out of the strategy, commissioners of police in all the states had been directed to liaise with electricity distribution companies in their states.

    He said that policemen deployed to the unit would undergo specialised training to update their skills.

    “In addition, the unit is subject to routine monitoring and evaluation to ensure they remain focused,“ he said.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of AEDC, Mr Ernest Mupwaya, had said that the company recorded 89 cases of vandalism in 2016, adding that the figure doubled in 2017.

    “Between January and September, 233 cases of vandalism have been reported within our franchise area,” he added.

    He also said that the company spent N195 million to replace vandalised items during the period.

    Mupwaya said that the implication of the “unfortunate situation is that money which ought to be used for acquiring new assets will be channelled to replacing vandalised equipment’’.

    He restated the company`s preparedness to ensure that all bottlenecks impeding supply of electricity to customers were removed.

    The Chairman, Board of Directors, AEDC, Mr Shehu Malami, said that the rising cases of vandalism of power equipment was a major threat to efficient electricity generation and distribution in the country.

    He said that the company was committed to work with all stakeholders to improve power supply to customers within its franchise areas.

    “I am also using this opportunity to call on members of the public to join hands with us in this partnership with the police to tackle this menace,“ he said.

    NAN

  • Judges, AEDC move to curtail electricity theft

    Judges, AEDC move to curtail electricity theft

    The Abuja Electricity Distribution Companies (AEDC) and judges of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday moved to curtail electricity theft in Abuja, Niger and Nassarawa States.

    Speaking in Abuja during a two-day workshop organized by the AEDC on electricity theft and related matters for judges in the FCT, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Ernest Mupwaya, said that the company and judges could share information that would curtail electricity theft.

    According to him, liquidity is the major problem that the sector is grappling with, which is consequent upon electricity theft and energy that is unaccounted for. 

    He recalled that while privatizing the power entities, the capability to reduce losses was an important consideration. 

    Mupwaya said that: “A major problem that we are facing in the sector is characterized by liquidity challenge. But if we analyze further the main reason that underpins the liquids challenge can be traced to the theft of electricity and unaccounted for energy in the sector. 

    “Because in order to have attained improvement in the sector there has to be efficient in the way the energy is being accounted for. There have to be deliberate processes that should curtail theft of electricity. 

    “Theft of electricity is real. It is for that reason that when the bidders for this these privatized entities put in their bids, the most important consideration for winning or procuring an asset was the aggressiveness of the program of addressing the losses.”

    He said there is a relationship between the electricity consumed in a country and its level of development.

    The Managing Director noted that if electricity theft is not addressed, it will continue to negate all the improvement efforts of the company. 

    Describing electricity is a national asset  FCT Chief Justice, Justice Ishak  Bello, promised that the judiciary will support the company to protect its facilities.

    He said that it was a moment to stimulate the mind of the service provider that reawakens the judiciary towards the organization, it is also a moment to see to so many situations such as abrupt power outage, an installation that leads to fire outbreak.

    He asked the power firm to fashion ways of averting such occurrences, stressing that if AEDC is not rising to its responsibilities litigations may come for the claim. 

    The Chief Justice informed the judges that the workshop was to for them to understand the workings of the AEDC for them to be able to follow the sequence of argument when the subject matter comes to their court. 

    He added that “you will easily comprehend the argument and understand and at the end of the day you will be able to know the sides fairly and justly decide.”

    He told the judges that the workshop was for them to see the type of services being delivered by the service provider and the penalties that are there.

    Bello described electricity as the most vital of the critical infrastructure and key resource that support the society, noting that “it will not be out of place to describe it as a national asset and it must be protected.

    Bello said that “As an arm of government, we in the judiciary are glad for major stakeholders like AEDC to collaborate in ensuring that this essential commodity is available to all and of course that power investments are well protected within the ambit of the law.”

  • AEDC presents N1.5m relief materials in IDPs camp

    The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) on Thursday presented  relief materials worth N1.5 million to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Aso Gurku camp, Nasarawa State.

    It will also sponsor the immunisation of 400 children in the camp to demonstrate  its love and care  for  the less privileged in the society.

    AEDC’s  Managing Director, Mr Ernest Mupwaya, made the presentation.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 1,300 displaced persons from the North East are currently resident in the Gurku inter-faith based camp, with women and children under-12 constituting a higher number of the population.

    The exercise was part of programme AEDC ‘s activities  to celebrate the World Immunization Week, celebrated every  last week of April annually.

    The immunization week is aimed at promoting the use of vaccines to protect  people of all ages against diseases.

    Mupwaya, represented by the Head of Corporate Communication, AEDC, Mr Oyebode Fadipe, said that the gesturee was part of AEDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    He said that the IDP camp was chosen to futher actualise the commitment and mandate of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    “By this exercise, the management of AEDC further demonstrates its commitment to the belief that strengthening the healthy systems is key to breaking the cycle of extreme poverty and disease.“

    He said that the process was also designed to promote health, productivity and prosperity among the less privileged.

    Mupwaya thanked the traditional ruler of the community for providing a space for the IDPs in his kingdom.

    Responding, the Ese of Gurku, Mai Kasuwa Darbmir who spoke through an interpreter, expressed gratitude to AEDC for the gesture.

    According to him, members of his community are living  in peace with the IDPs.

    The Chairman of the camp, Mr Yohanna  Zidico exprssed happiness over the exercise, adding that a committee had already been set up to distribute the items equitably.

    He called on the government to provide more assistance, especially immunization to the camp, adding that over 600 children required the service.

    Items presented to the camp included food stuffs like bags of rice and nodules.

  • AEDC installs 76,000 meters for customers

    The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has installed 76,000 meters and purchased additional 60,000 for its customers in the FCT and Niger, Kogi and Nasarawa States.

    Mr Ernest Mupwaya, AEDC Managing Director, also told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday that the meters installation and procurement was part of the companies’2017 metering project.

    The AEDC boss said, “We have so far installed 76,000 meters and we have procured additional 60,000.

    “We are busy looking at creative ways in which we can finance the metering gap that is about 500,000 and 600,000 customers.

    “We are on course. We will be able to catch up. There are certain interventions being done in the sector to minimize the negative impact of the foreign exchange regime.”

    He, however, said that the increase in exchange rate affected AEDC’s initial budget for meter procurement for customers under its jurisdiction.

    “The metering programme in our company, like every other company, has faced some challenges.

    “For example, the foreign exchange increases. From the time we took over, the exchange rate moved from N155 to over N500 per a dollar,” he said.

    Mupwaya, however, said AEDC was committed to metering all its customers for transparency and efficiency.