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Tag: Ikeja Electric

  • Ikeja Electric, Mojec seal N570m meters deal

    Ikeja Electric, Mojec seal N570m meters deal

    Ikeja Electric (IE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mojec International Limited, a local meter manufacturer, for the supply of 2,055 distribution transformers (DT) meters worth about N570 million.

    The agreement signing ceremony took place in Lagos yesterday at the head office of Ikeja Electric in Ikeja, Lagos. The Acting Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Electric, Mr. Anthony Youdeowei, was represented by the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, Olubunmi Olukoju.

    Olukoju said the investment was a further demonstration of Ikeja Electric’s commitment to a turnaround in the experience of the customers. She said: “Energy accountability has been a major bane in Nigeria’s energy sector. It is therefore necessary that we continue to invest and commit resources to improve our capacity to meter, correctly and fairly, the consumption patterns of as many customers as we can.”

  • Ikeja Electric promotes 97

    Ikeja Electric promotes 97

    Ikeja Electric (IE) has announced the promotion of 97 employees across its junior and senior staff cadres.

    The electricity distribution firm said 34 senior and 63 junior staff were elevated in the exercise, in its six business units and head office.

    IE Head of Corporate Communications Felix Ofulue explained that the promotions were reward for excellent performance.

    He said: “The promotion will further boost employee morale and productivity, ensuring that they continue to delight our company’s esteemed customers through efficient customer service delivery.”

    Ofulue noted that one of IE’s key objectives “is to create a high performing organisation, which satisfies the needs of its customers, as it continues to re-engineer its operations for greater impact, while expressing its resolve to deliver service excellence.”

    He added: “Ikeja Electric places high premium on human capital development as a vital component in its quest to provide the best possible service to customers within its network, noting that it is the reason why the company has created an enabling environment which provides opportunities for career progression and development.

    “We are an equal opportunity employer and our standard requirement is excellence as we clearly understand that a performance-driven organization is critical to the achievement of our overarching objectives.”

  • Ikeja electric launches whistle-blowing platform

    Ikeja electric launches whistle-blowing platform

    A power distribution company, Ikeja Electric Plc, has launched a whistleblowing platform to enable customers reveal or report illegal and unethical activities in a safe, confidential and secure manner for immediate attention.

    The platform, which is independently managed by Deloitte, one of Nigeria’s leading professional service firms, allows customers report anonymously by making using of multiple channels; a toll free hotline; an email platform; a web-based service and a mobile app available on ios and Android.

    Speaking on the initiative, the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Felix Ofulue explained that the new platform is one of the many measures put in place to encourage a culture of transparency and accountability.

    With the introduction of the platform, customers, he said, can now confidentially report matters bothering on fraud, bribery, extortion; energy theft through illegal connections, vandalism and all actions detrimental to the society.

    He said: “By connecting our customers directly with the professional services provider responsible for the management the platform, we have provided a means for us to work together with the customers to expose all forms of illegal and unethical behaviour on our network”.

    He stressed that Ikeja Electric is committed to the highest standards of openness, probity and accountability.

    “Our subscription to the whistleblowing platform is in line with our core values of professionalism, integrity and discipline, and our commitment to uphold the highest ethical standards in all our dealings with our publics,” he said.

    Intending whistleblowers can make reports in English, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba or French by calling the Toll-free hotline 0800TIPOFFS (08008476337); send an email to expressyourself@ikejaelectric.com or visit IE website www.ikejaelectric.com/whistlebloeing for more information.

    Ofulue further assured all intending whistleblowers, that in line with global best practices, the company has taken adequate measures to protect their identities by ensuring that the platform is safe secure and highly confidential. However, he cautioned customers against giving false and malicious reports.

    As a company poised to continually deliver excellent services to its customers, he added that it is pertinent to maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards all unwarranted forms of behaviour across its network of operations, in order to achieve its goals.

  • An appeal to Ikeja Electric

    An appeal to Ikeja Electric

    I want to believe that the ongoing blackout in my area at Pleasure, Okeodo, Agege, Lagos, is the fallout of the work that Ikeja Electric announced about four weeks ago that it would undertake at its Ayobo substation. If this is so, I hope the firm has taken cognisance of the perennial problem that throws many of its customers in that area (Otta Road, including the Orile Agege General Hospital; Olusegun Oshinkanlu Estate, etc.)  into darkness, sometimes for as long as 21 consecutive days years back. Although the duration of the blackout appears reduced these days, it is still there. We had it, for instance, for about two weeks in February. Hardly would a month pass without the light in the area having hitches that would warrant blackout for days. Now that the rains are approaching, we are always apprehensive because that compounds the problem.

    This is painful, especially when it is realised that the problem has always been there; and, two, when we continue to see electricity at our backyard. And, until recently, crazy bills used to be sent allocating N11,000 monthly electricity bills to many of us. That is why some of us laugh whenever the electricity companies say they are being owed some outrageous billions because the alleged debts include such crazy bills.

    Ikeja Electric would do well to address this perennial challenge in the afore-mentioned area in the interest of the general hospital, its numerous customers there, as well as its own interest. I used to lament whenever I saw the large areas in darkness in those days when we had no government and the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) brought whatever caught its fancy as bill. These days, it is someone in Ikeja Electric that should be losing sleep over the darkness in this area because it must mean a lot of revenue loss now that the firm is gradually moving towards getting paid only for services rendered.

  • Ikorodu communities decry 14 days power outage

    Electricity consumers in some communities in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State, on Thursday complained of living in darkness for 14 days due to power outage.

    The consumers told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the affected communities include Erunwen, Grammar School, Solomade, and Kokoro Abu.

    Mr Karimu Adisa, a resident of Kokoro-Abu, said the outage had paralysed commercial and domestic activities in his community.

    He said that the lack of power was unbearable; adding that it was the first time the area is experiencing such long outage.

    “This outage is uncalled for because my community is not under those that were listed as going to be on outage due to maintenance work by Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    “We have been in darkness without any tangible reasons from Ikeja Electric.

    “It would have been better if our community is among those that are on outage due to maintenance work by TCN technical crew but we are not.

    “We believe this is the actual time to enjoy electricity supply because power generation has increased.

    “We are appealing to officials of Ikeja Electric to get to the root of the problem and restore power supply,’’ Adisa said.

    Mrs Funke Ige, a frozen food seller at Solomade, Ikorodu said that the outage had affected her business such that customers no longer patronised her.

    “I am spending close to N3,000 daily to fuel my generator in order to ensure that my frozen food is fresh and actually frozen.

    “In spite of this extra expenditure I cannot increase the price of my goods because customers will not patronise me.

    “We are selling at a loss due to the outage, IE should come and fix our electricity, we are going through hell here,’’ Ige said.

    Also, Mr Johnson Isaac, a resident of Erunwen, described the services offered by the company in the area as poor.

    He said that communities in Ikorodu no longer enjoyed power supply since the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

    “The purpose of power sector privatisation has been defeated because since Nov. 1, 2013 electricity supply has not been regular.

    “IE officials are just extorting money from consumers without providing commensurate supply.

    “Our area has been cut-off from the grid without reasonable explanation still they will send their officials at the end of the month to distribute bills without electricity supply.

    “This is injustice and we are waiting for them,’’ Isaac said.

    When contacted, Mr Felix Ofulue, the Head of Ikeja Electric Corporate Communications, said that the company was not aware of the outage in the area.

    Ofulue, however, said that a technical crew would be sent to the communities to identify the fault and restore power supply to the area.

    He apologised to consumers in the area for the outage, assuring them that power would soon be restored to their communities.

     

  • Ikeja Electric urges caution as rainy season begins

    Ikeja Electric urges caution as rainy season begins

    Ikeja Electric has called on the general public to exercise extra caution around electrical installations within its network as the rainy season begins to gain momentum.

    The company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Felix Ofulue, noted that the rainy season is usually plagued with increased accidents within the electricity sector as a result of heavy rainfall, windstorms and floods. He urged the public to be on guard in order to avoid being victims of any accident that could easily occur during the rains.

    He said Ikeja Electric places premium on the safety of its staffers and customers alike, hence the proactive call for caution during this accident-prone season.

    Speaking on the need to observe all safety codes and regulations, especially during the rainy season, Ofulue said the company will continue to sensitise its customers and the public on the safety measures to adopt to ensure their safety.

    He noted that the need for heightened awareness on safety measures during the rainy season is due to the hazard that the mix of electricity and water poses. He advised  the public to avoid conditions that could compromise safety around electricity, such as using wet electrical appliances; stepping in puddles of potentially charged water, coming in contact with exposed electrical wires, among others, as such actions may have fatal results.

    He also warned the public to be mindful of streetlights within the Lagos metropolis as fatal cases have been reported where road users unfortunately come in contact with exposed energised wires connected to the streetlight.

    Ofulue called on residents within the company’s network coverage to also be mindful of snapped power cables and fallen poles, incidents which can occur during heavy rainfall. He said wherever such incidents occur, residents should call the company’s Customer Care help lines on 01-7000250, 01-4483900 and 0700-0-2255-453 or through the company’s social media handles immediately, while maintaining a safe distance from the point of the accident.

  • Ikeja Electric to cut supply

    Ikeja Electric to cut supply

    Ikeja Electric will cut power supply to some areas under its network to do maintenance by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on its transformers at the Ikeja West Transmission Station, its management has said.
    The areas to be affected by the exercise, which will start today and end on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, include Ojodu, Magodo, Alausa, Oke-Afa, Bolorunpelu, Egbe, Igando, Shasha, Ipaja, Alimosho, Agege, Egbeda and Abesan.
    Others are Ayetoro, Abule-Taylor, Ogba, Ifako, Shomolu, Gbagada, Oworonshoki, Ogudu, Isheri-Olowora, Berger, Anthony, Ota and its environs.
    The firm’s, Head, Corporate Communication, Mr. Felix Ofulue, appealed to residents of the affected areas to bear with the company, emphasising on the importance of the maintenance as a necessity for improved power supply and better service delivery.
    He said a load-shedding programme to ensure equitable distribution of power supply to the affected areas had been put in place.

  • Ikeja Electric alarmed over attacks on staff

    Ikeja Electric alarmed over attacks on staff

    Ikeja Electric has decried the increasing spate of violent attacks on its members of staff by some hostile customers.

    The company’s Head, Corporate Communications, Felix Ofulue, expressed shock at the level of violence towards members of staff of electricity distribution companies, citing a recent malicious incident at Akowonjo, Lagos, where an aggrieved woman allegedly stabbed a staffer of Ikeja Electric while discharging his official duties.

    He said: “It is quite disheartening that a customer will resort to such level of violence under any circumstance, to express her grievance without even considering the enormity of the action, which could have easily resulted in murder if the member of staff had died. This is appalling and totally unacceptable.”

    Ofulue stated that on a frequent basis, the field staff are attacked by aggrieved customers on matters, which are completely beyond the control of the distribution company (DisCo), such as the worsening power situation in the country.

  • Ikeja Electric, landlords’ row over wires’ re-routing deepens

    Ikeja Electric, landlords’ row over wires’ re-routing deepens

    The row between Ikeja Electric (IE) and some landlords at Abule-Egba, a surburb of Lagos, over the re-routing of high tension wires, has deepened.

    The landlords in support of one of their own Mr Godfrey Iriogbe, over whose property IE re-routed the wires, said the firm was wrong.

    Speaking to The Nation, the landlords urged IE to return the wires to their original place, adding that they would ensure the firm returns the wire wto here it was to prevent a repeat of similar act in the future.

    One of the landlords, Mrs. Queen Osagie, urged IE to be fair to its customers, claiming that the action of the company towards Iriogbe smacks of injustice.

    “It is obvious that Ikeja Electric deliberately put the wire on Iriogbe’s property. For years, the wire was over the mosque in the neighbourhood. Why is it now that the firm changed the location of the wire?’’ she asked.

    She added that the firm should listen to opinions of others and remove the wires from Iriogbe’s property.

    Another landlord, Mr. Sylvester Arovo, said the community has expressed its disapproval to the issue by advising IE to route the wire properly. He said many of the landlords after visiting the building at No 5, Abiodun Onitiri Street, Abule Egba, condemned the IE, warning that if the wires were not removed, they could lead to the building’s demolition in future for being under electric cable.

    Another landlord, who identified herself as Mrs. Odigbe, said the landlords expected the Abule-Egba unit of IE to retain its original position.

    She said: “Why other landlords and I in the area are not happy is that we discovered that the Abule-Egba unit was erecting the wires on top of Iriogbe’s property. Why should the firm do this to him? The company is setting a bad precedence. The implication is that any of the landlords can be a victim in future. That is the reason landlords are appealing to IE management to be fair on the issue.’’

    Iriogbe,  a member of staff of The Nation, said he had met town planning rules and regulations, including providing 30 centimetres setback to the road before building his house, wondering what the firm was after.

    According to him, IE is playing politics with the issue, adding that the firm was not making any move to resolve the issue.

    He said though IE, in a letter dated November 28, 2016 and signed by its Hea d of Legal Department, Mr. Babatunde Osadare, promised to address the matter, it had not done so.

  • Textile union shuts Ikeja Electric over firms’ disconnection

    Textile union shuts Ikeja Electric over firms’ disconnection

    The National Union of Textile Tailoring and Garment Workers of Nigeria (NUTTGWN) yesterday shut the Ikeja Electricity Plc over the disconnection of two textile companies, which it claimed could lead to the sack of 5000 workers.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos reports that Nichemtex and Cotsyn have ben disconnected in the past three months.
    NAN gathered that Ikeja Electric disconnected Nitchemtex because of an accrued N560 million debt which the firm incurred following increase in tariff from MYTO 2.0 to MYTO 2.1.
    The NUTGTWN members barricaded the power firm’s gate around 8a.m, protesting what they called “insensitive disconnection’’ of their companies since last November 17.
    NAN reports that the workers who were led by the leadership of the union and the employers’ body carried placards with inscriptions, such as, “No electricity, No industry, “Reconnect NIchemtex Ikorodu,’’ “Save our jobs, save our industry! Reconnect Nichemtex Ikorodu & Cotsyn Ilupeju.”
    The workers took their complaints to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) head office in Ikeja.
    NUTTGWN General Secretary Issa Aremu, said disconnecting electricity supply to the companies and forcing them to shut production negated government policy on job creation.
    Aremu said it was wrong for Ikeja Electric to disconnect a manufacturing company while power was constantly supplied to some government agencies not producing anything.
    Nigerian Textile Manufacturing Association Director General Mr Hamma Kwajaffa, said except the companies were reconnected, they would not be able to produce and pay their bills.
    Kwajaffa said the companies had lost billions of naira as well as customers since they were disconnected.
    The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, appealed to the electricity company to reconnect the companies to save the workers job.
    Abubakar, represented by a Director in the ministry, Mr Banabas Dejo, pleaded that after re-connection, all parties should dialogue to find a lasting solution to the issue.

    Ikeja Electric’s Head of Public Communication Felix Ofolue, said the firms’ were disconnected because of their huge debts.
    “The company’s name was not part of the list sent to us by MAN, but they have been paying on the old rate of MYTO 2.0,’’ Ofolue said.
    He said they were disconnected because the different was huge, adding that since dialogue was on, they would be reconnected.
    “We are ready to reconnect them, we want the management to come and sign the payment plan, but since the second meeting no one has come,’’ he said.