The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Service

  • WorldRemit, Skye Bank offer cash pickup service

    WorldRemit, Skye Bank offer cash pickup service

    WorldRemit, the global money transfer app, has partnered with Skye Bank Plc to offer instant money transfers to Nigerians.

    In addition to its same-day bank transfer service, the financial technology company now allows people to send money to more than 140 cash pickup locations in the country, instantly.

    In a statement, the firm said people in more than 50 countries can use the app to send to Nigeria. Recipients can collect money instantly from 140 branches of Skye Bank.

    It said WorldRemit customers currently send over 400,000 transactions monthly. The technology firm said Nigerians in Diaspora sent home $20.8 billion in 2015, by far the largest volume of remittances to any country in Africa and the 6th largest in the world, according to the World Bank.

    WorldRemit’s Chief Executive Officer& Founder, Ismail Ahmed, said: “Gone are the days of queuing in line at a high-street transfer shop and waiting several days for a money transfer to arrive. At WorldRemit, we offer people a choice of the most convenient ways to send and receive money. Today, Nigerians can use our app or website to send money to a bank account or cash pickup location, instantly.”

    In February 2015, the firm received a $100 million funding round led by Technology Crossover Ventures, early investors of Facebook, Spotify, and Dropbox.

    In June 2015, the technology firm also was recognised by United Nations agency the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for shaking up the global money transfer industry.

    WorldRemit offers a convenient mobile service and low minimum fees, allowing people to send smaller amounts, more frequently. It said fees for transfers to Nigeria start at 0.95 Euro and 0.99 GBP respectively.

  • Pathway to effective public service delivery

    The public service is an important institution anywhere in the world. It is the machinery that formulates and implements the decisions and policies of the government. To that extent, the success of any government in carrying out its statutory and constitutional responsibilities of maintaining law and order as well as engendering socio-economic and political development of any nation depends largely on the type of civil service which the country has. Thus, there is the likelihood of a government to meet the aspirations of the mass of the people over which it rules if the public service, which executes policies, is proactive, enlightened and incorruptible. Conversely, no government can achieve the modernization of the society if its public service is made up of mediocre and corrupt officers who divert the resources meant for the commonwealth to their private pockets.

    There is no doubt that the Nigerian public service has, over the years, contributed to the development of the country. Although the country has been characterized by political instability and socio-economic problems which have negatively rubbed off on all other institutions of the state, the principle of anonymity and non-partisanship of the civil service have largely empowered it to do justice to its statutory duties over the past decades. Much as military governments, which ruled this country for many years, dealt a devastating blow to the principle of security of tenure of public servants by subjecting public servants to premature retirement, many civil servants have continued to contribute their quotas to national development.

    To be sure, the overconcentration of power in the hands of some public servants by the military, as in the case of the era of “super perm-secs” and the prevalence of the culture of corruption in the country, in no small way impaired the role perception of these public servants. However, many of them lived above board. They performed and continue to perform their duties truthfully and conscientiously. In spite of the avarice, greed and the culture of primitive accumulation of wealth which reign supreme in the country, many of these public servants remain contented with their salaries. They have refused to join the pillaging of the national treasury. In the discharge of their official duties, they do not solicit for bribes. They treat all Nigerians they meet in the line of duty equally. It is this type of public servants who had no problem to go along with the practice of “Due Process” in civil service when former President Olusegun Obasanjo introduced it. It is also this set of civil servants who saw nothing bad in “mopping up” the treasury of ministries and government departments at the end of each year. The underlining factor behind their ability to adapt to the new rules of accountability, particularly the excellent financial control mechanisms introduced by the Federal Government since the civilian government of Obasanjo is their incorruptibility, their patriotic disposition and the abiding desire to maintain their honour and integrity in a country where honest men and women are in short supply.

    But for many, the ethics of their work have no meaning. And unfortunately, this group of erring public servants is in the majority. They have no conscience. They have no interest of the country at heart. Rather than play the role of agents of national development which they are statutorily meant to play, these public officials have, by their conduct over the years, sabotaged the efforts of successive governments to modernize Nigeria. Instead of faithfully executing the policies of government, they look for ways of cutting corners. Self-aggrandizement is uppermost in their mind. In order to cater for their interest, records are falsified with impunity, they embezzle public funds kept into their care, solicit and take bribes and are only concerned with what comes to their pockets rather than quality service delivery.

    The adverse effects of unethical behavior of some public servants cut across all the sectors of the society. For instance, most of the roads in Nigeria which are mere death traps are today in that sorry state as a result of corrupt activities of government officials. After taking kick backs, roads which are clearly sub-standard are approved as jobs well done. The diversion of patients from government hospitals to private hospitals is another dimension of the unpatriotic conduct of some public officials. Through this singular act, government has lost huge amount of revenue that would have contributed substantially to the provision of social amenities to the people. The relative ease with which the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of People and Goods is exploited by organized criminal groups to traffic human beings, firearms and hard drugs in Nigeria is a function of corrupt security agents who, for pecuniary gains, allow these traffickers to move freely within Nigeria and across the borders.

    The security challenges currently bedeviling Nigeria in the form of proliferation of militant groups across the country and terror attacks by Boko Haram are fuelled by the availability of arms and ammunitions which flow freely in the country as well as the widespread circulation of narcotics in the country, the proceeds of which are used to fund insurgency. The list of the negative effects of unethical behavior of some public servants in Nigeria is almost inexhaustible. It suffices, however, to say that the signature of corrupt behavior of some public servants in the country cut-across all the facets of the Nigerian society.

    In the light of the damaging consequences of this immoral behavior, what steps do we need to take in order to reap maximum benefits of a people-oriented public service and bring Nigeria to the pathway of steady national growth? First, government must holistically re-orientate the public service. The idea of reducing the workforce by way of sacking civil servants can only be counter-productive. For public servants to shun corrupt practices, their job security must be assured. Governments at all levels must enlighten their workers on the need to stick to work ethics and the advantages of having the interest of the country at heart while they discharge their duties.

    Secondly, the Civil Service Commission, the Code of Conduct Bureau, SERVICOM, the Public Complaints Commission and other bodies that are statutorily charged to ensure ethical conduct and practices should be manned by people of integrity who are wholeheartedly committed to the task of uprooting moral decadence in the country. These agencies should be well funded, independent and supported by both public and private sectors in carrying out the onerous duty for bringing about the desired ethical renaissance across the Nigerian populace.

    Equally important is the need for the country’s judiciary to be truly independent and incorruptible. This important arm of government, which interprets law, should live above board in all its activities. As a deterrent to any judge with corrupt disposition, stiff sanctions should be spelt out for any proven manipulation of judgment. The judiciary should be the last hope of the common man. But in many cases, it is not so in Nigeria. The rich are often favoured at the expense of the poor. This has allowed criminals with the wherewithal or well-heeled godfathers to get away with their evil acts. No individual should be bigger than the law. In this case, the government must demonstrate the political will at all times to investigate and bring to justice the rich who are behind most of the crimes that have been perpetrated in this country.

    Last but not the least, government at all levels must take the welfare of public servants seriously. Salaries and allowances of workers must be paid as at when due. No matter may be the efforts of government on the orientation of its citizenry, particularly the workers, these efforts will count for nothing if their salaries are not paid regularly. This is so because no hungry worker will reject bribe. It is therefore imperative for government to put in place a long-term plan that will prevent its frequent inability to pay workers’ salaries regularly. No nation can experience developmental strides without the wholehearted commitment and loyalty of its workforce.

    • Bamigbetan is of the National Commisiion for Museums and Monuments, Owo, Ondo State.
  • Improve your service, alternative medicine practitioners told

    Improve your service, alternative medicine practitioners told

    Complementary and alternative healthcare and healing practitioners have been advised to improve on their practices to enhance public health.

    Nigerian Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine President Bishop Magnus Atilade gave this advice at the council’s commendation ceremony at the MRC Hall, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

    Bishop Atilade described complementary and alternative healthcare and healing practices (traditional medicine) as relevant to survival.

    He said: “This area of health represents a vast and as yet unrealised sector of the public health systems of developed and developing nations. Moreover, the limits of our current biomedical knowledge and capabilities cannot be denied. We do not, as yet, have all the answers, or even, for that matter, know all the questions. There are more things in heaven and earth than can be dreamt of in our current biomedical philosophies. Stagnant biomedical orthodoxy cannot achieve the fullness of public health’s potential and has no role to play in human progress. Maintaining openness to this reality may serve to help marshal the resources of indigenous, complementary, and alternative health practices in the service of public health, now and in the future.”

    Prof Atilade added: “For us to be taken more seriously, let us hone our skill. Our professionalism will stand us out and thereby uproot the charlatans among us.  That progress, like a moving train will reposition us in the scheme of things, at the Federal and we will be able to get the bill passed into Act, and one day get minister for traditional and alternative/complementary medicine, as it obtains now in China.”

    Vintage Press, publisher of The Nation was a recipient of an award for its extraordinary performance in the promotion and development of Healthcare, Education, Science and Humanity coverage.

    Other recipients  include Dr Olufemi Bankole, now a professor of Complementary and Alternative Medicine,  specialising in Osteopath; Prof Adebukunola Adefule-Ositelu of Guiness Eye Centre for her innovative orogbo (garcinia cola) eye drop, an iridologist, Dr Titi Oduye, Acupuncturist, Dr Adewale Bade, Dr (Mrs) Ani Adepeju Kuju (DC) among others.

    An ophthalmologist, Dr Mosunmade Faderin, enjoined the practitioners to know their limitations when treating patients, especially those with eye complaints or diseases. “I have seen a lot of patients that were badly managed. Some even ended up with blindness just because they patronised some of your colleagues. Please know when to refer appropriately. Do not introduce  strange preparations that have not been proven scientifically as being beneficial to your patients,”she said.

    Present at the event were Mr. Babatunde Ogara, a legal practitioner, Mrs Nwokeke Chinyere represented the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Adeleke Ipaye represented the Osun State  Governor, Dr (Mrs) Omotosho represented Chairman of the occasion, Chairman, Bond Chemicals Limited, Sir Debo Omotosho, Chief medical Director (CMD), Prof Chris Bode represented the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibajo, Dr G.O Ajayi represented Provost, LASUCOM and others.

    Students of the School of Complementary Health Science of the lagos State College of Health Technology, Yaba were also inducted.

  • Airtel‘s service from Mars

    SIR: Recently, Airtel Nigeria sent a system generated message to me: “Dear Valued customer, your data bundle will expire in two days. To stay connected to the internet on your device, kindly ensure you have sufficient airtime for renewal.”

    And again; “Dear Valued customer, your data bundle will expire tomorrow. Don’t miss that important email, social network update and more, kindly ensure you have sufficient airtime for renewal.”

    Finally: “Dear subscriber, you have been deactivated. You no longer have an active data plan. Dial *141# to buy a bundle OR *424# to browse at PAYG rates of 5 kobo/KB.”

    And so in order not to, “miss that important email,” I subscribed to a new data bundle after which, I got this “Your Airtel Unlimited Plan was successful. Your Airtel Unlimited plan is active. Re-insert your battery. This plan is usable on Blackberry devices and other device type. You have successfully subscribed to BB Unlimited Monthly plan. Please restart your phone to get this service running…”

    That was on Tuesday, December 8 but I couldn’t browse immediately after doing the needful as I was supposed to and I got this feedback after numerous efforts: “Unable to connect to the internet, please try again later. If the problem persists please contact your service provider.”

    It persisted, so I called online customer care agent (call centre 111) to complain after which I got a text message “Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for contacting Airtel. Your Case ID is ANG20151208006963825. We will notify you once issue is resolved.”

    With the status quo unchanged, on Thursday December 10, I called customer care again and care agent said, “I can see you logged this complaint on December 8, we are still working on your line.”

    Then I reminded the agent that for more than six months running, I have had to call care agents to connect me to the internet after having paid for subscription for a service that was advertised to be efficient, provided to folks on the go. Even when all settings are on the default mode on my phone with no problem from my end but theirs, it took (takes) three days or more to resolve complaints.

    “We are so sorry. We will notify you as soon as possible. Thank you for choosing Airtel.” I hear this oft repeated platitude always from care agents. They thank me for choosing Airtel (I wish they could see the puckered brow I wear when I call care agents) even when my complaints hadn’t been resolved. Does Airtel have a one call resolution policy? Has Airtel coached online care agents the last principle in customer service?

    You haven’t solved my challenge and yet, you thank me. For what?

    By default on the day I subscribed for this current service I was reminded: “Dear subscriber, your current Airtel Unlimited Monthly service expires on Thu 7 Jan, 2016.”

    And on that day if the Almighty Creator permits, I will call care agents again and again after subscription to hook me up. Trust me! I have gone through same circuitous nightmare for more than six months.

    And I will most likely hear, “We are working on your line,” guess it might be for eternity again.

    Airtel deserves commendation for gross inefficiency in service delivery.

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State

  • ‘Politics is about service, not satisfaction of greed’

    ‘Politics is about service, not satisfaction of greed’

    Ashipa Kaoli Olusanya, an APC chieftain, a former commissioner in Lagos State, Proprietor and Chief Learning Officer (CLO) of Kith and Kin Group of Schools, Ikorodu, in this interview told Adeyinka Aderibigbe how to prepare Nigerian youths for leadership. Excerpts

    Recently the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, singled you out for praise, describing you as a leader worthy of emulation by the youth; you are you, and what defines your personality?

    I was as surprised at such confidence boosting commendation as everyone because it came unsolicited. I never knew I was being keenly monitored by such a great leader of men. Though from a very poor family, we never covet. My mother taught me basic moral values, my mother was my first teacher, she taught me the values of hard work, she taught me to mix freely and not hold anything against anybody and at the same time, she taught me the value of focus. She taught me how to set goals and work towards achieving them. She taught me the value education.

    Can you access Lagos of your time and Lagos of today?

    There has been a lot that has changed between that time and now. Lagos of the 60s is a very quiet and peaceful place, a place where everybody is their brother’s keeper. There is good neighborliness; there is no thuggery and no robbery or kidnapping. We almost knew ourselves. Even as primary school pupils, you cant afford to misbehave because the news would have gotten home ahead of you and disciplined is enforced by members of the community, not necessarily your parents.

    Today, the population has ballooned. The idea of being brothers’ keeper is no more there.

    When you were Commissioner for Agriculture, you established farm settlements and encouraged Lagosians to go back to the farm. Is that still happening? What would be your assessment of government’s involvement in agriculture?

    What assisted me in my assignment was the fact that I had earlier served as an Agricultural Officer in the civil service before finding myself back in the ministry. I was therefore familiar to all the production centres. I remember Ikorodu used to be a centre for the production of palm oil estates and food stuffs and poultry. Every Friday, members of the community come to the school of agriculture there to buy farm produce and we also ship a lot of these to Alausa. We also have other production centres at Ajara, Epe, Ejirin, Araga; so, when I came in as Commissioner of Agriculture because I knew how we used to produce foods then, I said if there is any rundown, we have to bring them back, so I presented a proposal to the government at one of our early executive council meeting and money was set aside to renovate all old farm settlements. I did not start building new ones, I renovated Ajara, Ikorodu, Araga, the buildings, the pens, the battery cages, the roads were all renovated. The next thing I did was to look at the abattoir which was another run down production centre that had been badly run down and was a loss to the government.

    What would you say are the main challenges besetting the youths of today?

    The youths of today are combating a number of threats that may affect their ability to manifest their full potentials and limiting their opportunity of playing a larger role in the future. One major problem is the environmental factor. The environment can be likened to planting a seed. A farmer who plants a tree in a rocky soil and does not nurture the seed would reap an emaciated plant, but if the same seed is planted on a fertile soil, it grows into beautiful plant. So what kind of soil are we planting our youths.

    If we want to build Nigeria of our dream, government has a lot of responsibility to train these children in the path that would make them imbibe positive values that would make them patriotic and make them say I can die for Nigeria but before anyone can say that mentally, we must have enumerated what he had gained from such a system. Secondly, it is important for our leaders to empower the youths. What are we giving them that would make them available for that future when it eventually comes?

    Were you to be offered an opportunity to serve your people now, which office do you think you can best serve your people?

    The question is not about political office now, it’s about service. Where I find we are lacking competence now is in the allocation of resources for the benefit of the people and that fundamental structure is not the executive but in the legislature, a structure that can create opportunities for Nigerians, a structure that could ensure little empowerment. So, I think that platform for me would be the legislature.

    Lastly, what advice do you have for the youths?

    The youths must first believe in themselves. They must believe in their potentials. Secondly, they must stop depending on the government for everything, but become job creators. The future of this country is in people joining hands with the government to build the economy and only job creators do that. They should stop making themselves available for use by politicians as thugs; they should have patience and believe in hard work; they should be determined.

    Government should also make access to capital for youths interested in creating jobs.

  • Poor service quality: Reps probe internet service providers

    The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to begin an industry-wide audit of the quality of service being provided by internet service providers (ISP) in Nigeria.

    The lawmakers said the exploitation of internet service consumers by ISPs had gone on for too long without being checked.

    The lawmakers said the audit was necessary because since the introduction of commercial scale internet services in Nigeria, consumers have been subjected to exploitation, ranging from exorbitant rates, poor service delivery, limited coverage and non-existent roll-out option to slow internet access, among others.

    The sponsor of the motion, which was adopted by the House, Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun) said the trend had continued to cause untold hardship to many subscribers and businesses which have been deprived of the right quality of service to enable them stay competitive.

    This trend must not be allowed to continue unchecked, he said.

    In their resolution, the lawmakers also urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to set up a framework through which internet service consumers would be compensated for poor services by ISPs.

  • Lagos to implement public service reforms

    The Lagos State government will continue to develop institutional framework and implement reforms to enhance the capacity of its public service, Director-General, Lagos State Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), Mrs. Olubunmi Fabamwo, has said.

    This, she said, is to deliver quality service through effective people management and synergy at the state and local government levels.

    She spoke last weekend at a sensitisation forum aimed at deepening the understanding of human resource reforms in the public service for human resource officers and council clerks, on the Centre’s premises.

    Fabamwo reiterated the primacy of deepening the human resource capabilities of practitioners in the promotion of public service excellence and in broadening the capacity of government to satisfy the yearnings and expectations of citizens.

    She told participants, from the 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state, that as leaders in the third tier of government, their understanding and commitment to the human resource management reform agenda would go a long way to promote service delivery, which will ensure uniformity in people management across the board.

    Also speaking, the Director-General, State Office of Transformation Creativity and Innovation (OTCI), Mr. Toba Otusanya, said the human resource reform would boost governance by building a professional public service managed by professional human resource managers.

  • Encourage service providers’

    The Chief Executive Officer of VAS2Nets Technologies Limited, Ayo Stuffman has urged African governments to give incentives to Value Added Service (VAS) providers.

    Stuffman who spoke in plenary at the just concluded GSMA Mobile 360 Africa Series in Cape Town, South Africa said creating enabling environment involves tax benefits to internet and mobile VAS providers within the telecoms sector added to a  new generation regulation and policy. He said these would provide the needed boost in broadband and internet penetration needed in the country so that the average Nigerian could have access to 21st century empowerment tools.

    Speaking on: Power to the People: Closing digital divide with Commercial VAS Models, he noted that the major factors limiting the growth of VAS industry included affordability of access to internet, incentives to mobile operators, government policies, spectrum allocation in rural areas, penetration of mobile money among others.

    According to him, unless these challenges are addressed, the expected growth in VAS and technology industries as a resource for may not be achieved in record time.

    He said good policies were required for the growth of the sector, adding that the government needed to focus more attention on e-governance. He added that the government needed to first understand the sector in terms of the term “aggregatorship” as pertaining to content providers, infrastructure and mobile VAS providers.

    He  said: “Our challenge has to do with infrastructure and also with environmental factors largely bordering around policy formulation, regulation, deregulation, government advocacy and participation among others.

    “We have too many environmental inhibitors to good penetration of internet; Power being an issue that must be resolved as technology largely must go with power.

    “Secondly, the cost of internet access in Nigeria is very high and all of these factors contribute to the low level of technology adoption in key rural areas. They are not harnessing the potential for inclusion in areas such as finance, agriculture, public health, telemedicine, education, entertainment and others.

    “Nigeria will not develop at a competitive pace with the world if our citizens do not have the capacity to power and propel their everyday life with technology.”

     

    “There is an urgent need to build ICT infrastructure to achieve last mile broadband coverage, and most importantly, the government needs to realise that we cannot achieve these goals without public-private sector involvement in a mutually beneficial fashion.

    “We are definitely concerned about the quality we push out, and this is consistent with the mission of our company which is to help people all over the world realise their creative desires and provide services beyond their expectations.”

    He said as a leading developer of consumer and enterprise mobile value added services, he said the firm’s focus include enterprise mobility, mobile communities and mobile VAS.

    “We provide processes and technology focused on managing the increasing array of mobile devices, wireless networks and related services to enable broad use of mobile technology in a business context, VAS2Nets Enterprise mobility has several dimensions including security, infrastructure development, Application management and financial management” he said, adding that  the firm’s service portfolio boasts multiple channels with platforms that possess the capacity to support eco-systems, integrate with cross services, enable easy data sharing.

    The firm also execute cross sales strategy, efficiently manage reporting for research and development (R&D), promote partnerships, reduce duplication of effort and ultimately, promote and sustain ease of access to target markets across Africa and Europe..

    “In this regard our operations span two core areas which are; Mobile Content Aggregation & Mobile Network Solutions, the latter of which majorly covers Bulk Messaging Services, Carrier Billing Services, Premium SMS, USSD, IVR and MT Billing,”  he explained.

     

  • ‘Imbibe civil service ethics’

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, has urged newly recruited officers to be conversant with the extant rules and regulations of the civil service. He also asked them operate within the framework of the service.

    Dr. Illoh, who was represented by the Director, Human Resources Management, Mrs. Abiola Bawa, said this in Abuja while declaring open a two-day induction course for newly recruited officers in the Ministry.

    Dr. Illoh stated that the induction course was necessitated by the need to change the work ethics, values and productivity standard of the newly recruited officers towards building a strong institution, as no nation can make sustainable progress without the right values and culture.

    He enjoined the officers to imbibe the core values of the civil service as culture so that they can bring about the desired change, professionalism and progress to the Ministry in particular and the nation in general.

  • Ikeja Electric rolls out programmes for efficient service delivery

    Ikeja Electric rolls out programmes for efficient service delivery

    The Ikeja Electric has begun the roll out of two vital programmes – Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) and Customer Enumeration, Technical Audit and Asset Mapping (CETAAM), aimed at ensuring that customers are metered, and get quality service.

    The Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) targets the metering of all customers with smart meters and the Company targets installation of 300,000 meters in the next three years.

    Chief Executive officer, Ikeja Electric, Mr. Abiodun Ajifowobaje said the roll out of the smart meters, which started last month, represents a remarkable step in the company’s quest for redefining service delivery in the sector. This development resonates with our new spirit, new drive and new energy identity, as we strive to create value for our customers, he added

    Ajifowobaje told reporters in Lagos that the meter roll out started in September with the installation of 6000 meters after the successful completion of the pilot scheme of the advanced meter installation phase which began in June this year. The Ikeja Electric is set to commence with the second phase of the project; the mass roll out of the meters. These meters are designed to enhance efficient energy usage and transparent billing in real time, he added

    According to him, the company aims to install 10,000 meters this month, and will be able to attain the peak monthly installation of 15,000 meters by December. He said the scope of the metering project is to deploy approximately 300,000 electric meters for Ikeja Electric’s residential, commercial and industrial customers between September 2015 and December 2016 in mapped out areas in all the Business Units of the Company.

    Ajifowobaje noted that Ikeja Electric’s Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) is a state-of-the-art technology that enables utilities to read, disconnect and connect meters remotely and to detect individual customer outages quickly using a wireless communications network. The metering project will replace today’s meters with “next generation” electronic meter technology that improves customer service and enables customers to proactively manage their energy use and save money by giving them the power to control how much electricity they use against how much electricity they pay for.

    According to the Ikeja Electric chief, the scope of the metering project is to deploy approximately 300,000 electric meters for Ikeja Electric’s residential, commercial and industrial customers between September 2015 and December 2016 with installation of about 12,000 meters monthly in already mapped out areas in all the Business Units of the Company. With the metering project, the issue of estimation will be totally eradicated through improved billing. The customers will also be able to track the usage of electricity and eliminate energy wastage, he said.

    To also improve quality of service, Ikeja Electric has started Customer Enumeration, Technical Audit and Asset Mapping (CETAAM) project across its network .The project is slated to run from October 2015 to April, 2016.

    The project will involve mapping the location of each of the electrical network entities from the 132KV/33KV and 11KV systems to the distribution transformers and poles.  Ajifowobaje said: “It is going to be a thorough project that will ensure a solid foundation for efficient, equitable and transparent power supply to the esteemed customers of Ikeja Electric.