The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ibadan Disco

  • Ibadan DisCo upgrades services, urges customers’ cooperation

    Ibadan Distribution Company (IBEDC) said it has upgraded its services and substantially improved service delivery.

    In a statement by Head Branding & Corporate Communication, IBEDC, Mrs Angela Olanrewaju, the firm asked customers to take advantage of the various complaint channels, which it had provided, adding it had fulfilled promises to customers in its franchise area for quality and improved service delivery. It urges customers to reciprocate the firm’s effort by paying their bills promptly and lodge complaints in a civil way whenever the need arises.

    According to her, IBEDC has just upgraded two distribution substations at Awujale and GRA distribution substations in Ijebu-Ode business hub under Ogun region of its franchise. It said the company upgraded the overloaded 200KVA 11/0.415KV transformer of GRA substation to 500KVA 11/0.415KV distribution Transformer.

    The firm said customers at Oke -Aje market, Igbo Electronic market,  JDPC & Lekan Bello  Avenue, Heritage Estate, Stadium road & Ijebu-Ode Club road had been experiencing incessant power outages as a result of the overloaded 200KVA transformer, adding that the upgrading has brought improved and quality supply to the community.

    Similarly, the company said it replaced the old and burnt 200KVA 11/0.415KV transformer, which plunged the residents of Igbeba under Awujale substation into darkness with a new one.

    “IBEDC, in fulfillment of her promises to all the company’s esteemed customers, ensured the replacement of the community’s transformer.

    “Also, in a bid to ensure that our esteemed customers get quality services the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Osun region have resolved the prolonged issue of irregular power supply in Ile-Ife and its environs.

    “For some years, Orile –Owu, Ikire, Wasimi and Sekona were experiencing erratic power supply due to some challenges with the indoor circuit-breakers at TCN Substation in Ile-Ife. However, with the collaborative efforts from both TCN and IBEDC, the troubled indoor circuit-breakers were successfully converted to outdoor circuit breakers, and regular power supply and even quality services are presently being restored to these localities and their environs.

    “With the commissioning of three newly installed out-door circuit-breakers on each of the six 33KV out-going feeders, namely: OAU, Iron and Steel, Ikire/ Wasimi, Orile –Owu, Ife- Township and Sekona will be having its separate and respective out-door circuit breaker. The latching of one feeder to the other is now a thing of the past,” the company added.

    The company urged its customers to reciprocate the good gesture through prompt and regular bills settlement to encourage the company do more, warning the communities to desist from tampering with the company’s installations but to always report faults promptly to its offices around them for prompt rectification.

    The company further appealed to the communities to always be vigilant and protect its installations from vandals.

  • Ibadan DisCo achieves 365 days safety milestone

    The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) said it has achieved a milestone of 365 days of zero Lost Time Injury (LTI) translating to 1.6 million safe man-hours.

    Lost Time Incident or Injury (LTI) is a measure of injury or incident that occurs on a job that is capable of preventing a worker from performing or continuing with his or her task resulting in downtime in the operation. It is an oil and gas industry benchmark that evaluates adherence to safety and environmental requirements during operations.

    The IBEDC in a statement by its Head, Branding and Corporate Communications, Mrs. Angela Olanrewaju, quoted the company’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr. Ade Ayileka, as saying the business had no time lost to injury with staff in 365 days.

    “This safety achievement is a big milestone in the power sector considering the level of risks involved in the day-to-day activities and the extent of free access to electrical installations.

    “The power sector by nature is fraught with high-level hazard and occupational risk. To achieve a year with no lost time Injury is definitely a milestone to recognise,” Ayileka said.

    He said the company was determined to put safety at the forefront of all its operations as its mission was to attain the vision zero incident by 2020.

    According to him, the major milestone was achieved due mainly to the emphasis placed on safety within IBEDC, which has formed part of its core strategic business goals consistently for over three years.

    Ayileka said this also included extensive customer education, sensitisation on safety and huge investment on safety gear and equipment for staff.

    “To ensure we continue to keep safety as a culture as we work toward the International Standard Certification, which specifies requirements for an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Management System, Ibadan DisCo has obtained the services of an accredited environmental consultancy firm.

    He said the firm – AMPAK Nigeria Limited, was engaged for a health, safety and environment improvement programme.

    Ayileka said the firm would help IBEDC consolidate its existing safety structure and recommend new measures to attain the International Safety Standard Certification – ISO 45001-2018.

    He also appealed to customers to work in collaboration with IBEDC and its staff to attain this mission by not tampering with electrical installation, refrain from building any structure under power lines and assaulting its staff.

  • Ibadan DisCo loses over N1b to energy theft monthly

    •70% of installed meters bypassed

    it is worrisome that the power sector situation is not getting better. This is made worse by the unpatriotic attitude of some consumers, who would not want to pay for what they consume, the Team Lead Revenue Protection, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc, Jude Ugwuoke, has said.

    Ugwuoke said the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) are running into huge losses, noting that the Ibadan distribution company alone loses over N1 billion to energy theft monthly. He said there’s no business person that would invest and lose such amount of money and be able to grow. It’s not likely, he said.

    He said the effect of energy theft was seriously telling on the Discos hence the power shutdowns, which often occur in most parts of the country. He appealed to Nigerians to desist from this kind of practice to enable the DisCos deliver on their promises.

    He stated that people are being sensitised on the need to discontinue from energy theft, spread the message across so that people can begin to see the need to pay for the electricity they consume.

    Ugwuoke told The Nation in Lagos that the major challenge confronting the DisCos was energy theft by consumers. According to him, about 70 per cent of installed meters are now bypassed, adding that meters are to measure the quantum of energy being consumed but when that has been distorted, there would be huge losses as a result.

    ‘’Consumers use the energy and they don’t want to pay. A lot of consumers bypass the meters, which the DisCos had invested huge amount of money on’’. It’s a very big problem to the DisCos, he said, but noted that with the kind of strategies the distribution companies are putting in place,  the challenges would be taken care of within a short time.

    Ugwuoke confirmed that the DisCos also have their own challenges too. He agreed the distribution companies’ metering standard needed to be checked but added that on no account should anybody tamper with the installation even if the meters were not installed at the right place. “It’s against the law, so we need to ensure that we stop tampering with meters, and when this is done, things will change,” he said.

    “We have illegal consumers who are not DisCo customers, they only hook on to the network without following the due process, their information would not be provided, they would be using electricity free of charge.”

    He warned that the Discos are monitoring these activities and anyone caught in the act would be brought to book.

    He also stated that Ibadan DisCo had embarked on enumeration exercise to reorganise its network, so as to know the number of its existing customers. Ugwuoke disclosed that the IBEDC had spent over N5 billion in this process trying to ensure the company effectively runs that process.

    With this, the company would be able to know the number of its existing customers, the process according to him, is also targeted at bringing in those illegal consumers and legalise them and bring them to the company’s data base.

     

     

     

    “We will be able to know the number of people in our network, that will help in planning and budgeting. So, the moment we know the number of customers we have through this enumeration, we will be able to plan ahead, we will be able to look at what to put in place in terms of metering, among others,” adding that other DisCos are doing the same, and other states are equally embarking on that process.

    Stressing the need for metering, Ugwuoke said the moment the customers are all metered and they stop tampering with these meters, pay for what they consume, the DisCos will equally be able to pay for what they consume, adding that the distribution companies too do get bills from the transmission company.

    “So, the moment there’s check and balances and people stop tampering with the meters, we will have proper accountability of our energy, the era of paying for what you did not consume or the DisCos losing excessively will no longer be there,” he said.

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is equally putting measures to ensure that consumers of electricity do not tamper with installations. According to him, the regulatory body had redefined penalties for offenders. Before now, the single phase tampering was N25,000 but now it’s N50,000 while the three phase meter tampering is N100,000.

     

  • Ibadan DisCo to NERC: we’ve made all outstanding payments

    • Seeks directors suspension reversed

    The management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), said it has made all outstanding payment on the N6billion loan that instigated the suspension of its directors by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

    A statement by the Company Secretary, Seye Alayande , said the news of the suspension was received with shock and disbelief.

    Alayande said as at yesterday, Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Group (IEDMG), has made all outstanding payment up till May 2018, in respect of the monthly ¦ 150million commitment to the loan.

    NERC had said it suspended the directors of the electricity distribution company (DisCo) over the company’s “inability to retrieve a N6billion inappropriate loan” given to IEDMG, its core investor.

    Alayande described the decision as unwarranted and lacking in judgement since the directors “demonstrated willingness and commitment” to fulfilling its financial obligations to IBEDC.

    He said: “The board of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), received with shock and disbelief the decision of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to suspend all executive and non-executive directors of IBEDC in its order: NERC/181/2018 dated 19th June, 2018.

    The statement reads: “The suspension, which was premised on alleged non-compliance with the repayment terms of investors’ commitment to the company, is not only unwarranted but injudicious given the circumstances and realities of issues at stake.

    “We say so for the following reasons: firstly, as NERC rightly observed in its order, IBEDC complied with the payments of the fine and interest on the pre-takeover expenses as imposed by the regulatory authority.

    “Secondly, NERC and IBEDC reached an understanding in respect of the  N5.7billion outstanding due for payment by Integrated Energy Distribution & Marketing Group Limited (IEDMG).

    “The two parties reached an understanding that the repayment of the N5.7billion plus interests would be made from the refund of the sum due from the Federal Government on the stalled Yola Electricity Distribution Company transaction. This position was to the knowledge of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE.

    “The understanding from BPE, which was conveyed to NERC was that the refund which had been due to IEDMG as far back as 2015, could only be made after the 2018 appropriation bill is signed into Law.

     

     

    “To demonstrate commitment and good intention, IEDMG reached an understanding with NERC to pay ¦ 150million monthly to IBEDC beginning from January 2018, while awaiting the refund from BPE in respect of Yola transaction.

    “It is true, as NERC claimed, that as at 20 April 2018, the payment for January February and an additional ¦ 130million had been effected.

    “More importantly, however, is the fact that as of Thursday, 14th June 2018, IEDMG had made all outstanding payment up till May 2018, in respect of the monthly ¦ 150 million commitment.

    “It is for this reason that the board of IBEDC is at a loss over this seemingly hasty decision to suspend the directors who had not only demonstrated willingness and commitment to fulfilling its financial obligations to IBEDC, but have collectively shown dedication to the cause of the company.

    “It is our hope that NERC will take a second look at the issue in contention and reverse this decision in the interest of all the stakeholders and the nation.”

  • Ibadan Disco: Taking consumers for granted

    SIR: Every responsible organization seeks maximum satisfaction of their customers to enhance larger share of the market. However, the operations of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBDEC) are antithetical to this. Sadly, many of the new owners of electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) are only interested in making illicit and ungodly profit at the expense of their poor customers. IBDEC is a major culprit in this regard.

    The company has the penchant for distributing predatory bills to their customers, billing them on spurious estimation for the electricity they did not consume. It is unethical for IBDEC to be playing on people’s intelligence with sheer fabrication and manipulation, basking in the euphoria that people don’t know their rights and will not react to their antics.

    Recently, special adviser to Minister of Power, Jonathan Ogbonna, informed the nation about the drop in electricity supply to the nation. He attributed it to the maintenance works going on at Utorogu and Ughelli east gas plants, which necessitated the shutting down of the two stations all of which affected power generation, with supply falling drastically from over 4,000mw to 2900mw.

    Minister of Power Prof. Nebo also confirmed that the federal government had closed down the two gas plants since June 2, and that re-commissioning was in progress. He said the closure, which was carried out by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation affected Egbin and Omotosho stations.

    Ironically, IBDEC decided to prey on the people of Ogbomoso by increasing their bills by over 200%. The bill served on this writer for May, was N1,291 for 100 units at the rate of N12.91 per unit, and N500 compulsory monthly fixed maintenance fee totaling N1,791 But in their June bill, the bill was doubled to 200 units which is N2,582 plus N500 fixed maintenance fee totaling N3,082 – despite the total blackout. My only offence is being hooked on estimated billing. Considering that I actually use less than 20 units monthly if on pre-paid meters, I could not have paid more than N758.20. No wonder they hoard and refuse to make pre-paid meters available.

    The same scenario is playing out in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State; Shaki, Kishi, Igboho etc are currently having a bust-up with the company on same poor electricity supply and outrageous bills given to them monthly without improvement on the quality of service.

    The protests going on almost daily against the notorious estimated bills should be enough reason for IBEDC to discard the controversial estimated billing system and make the electricity consumers pay for the actual points they consume. The rate charged per point is still the same throughout the nation. IBEDC should make pre-paid meters available for their teeming customers, repair their damaged and obsolete equipment, and make electricity more stable and regular in the community.

    Enough is enough.

     

    • Pastor Mark Debo Taiwo,

    Takie, Ogbomoso.