BEDC Takes Delivery of 54,198 Meters, Offers Debt Relief to Customers

Adibe Emenyonu

The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has announced that it has taken delivery of about 54,198 meters out of 75,870 meters being expected in the federal government National Mass Meter Programme (NMMG).

The compant also disclosed its readiness to offer its customers across the franchise states of Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti, debt relief as an incentive to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

Announcing the scheme during a media interactive session at the company’s headquarters in Benin City, the Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Funke Osibodu, that recall that in late 2020, President Mohammandu Buhari initiated the National Mass Metering Program, with the mandate of ensuring that 1million meters are deployed to electricity consumers nationwide with each distribution company allocated a certain number of meters to be shared among their customers.

To this effect, she noted that “BEDC has taken delivery of 54,198 out of 75,870 meters allocated to us for distribution to customers under the NMMP phase zero level, whilst it has completed the installation of over 40,000 meters across the four states that we cover as of July ending.”

On the debt relief, Mrs Osibodu said it is a rescheduling scheme aimed at given customers a soft landing approach to settle their outstanding debt on electricity consumption.

“The debt relief offers discounts, ranging from fuve to the down payment of 25 percent, with the balance payable roll over four years or provision of an additional five percent discount where a customer is ready to pay off the whole debt owed”, the BEDC boss declared, adding that the scheme ensures that the customers involved are not disconnected as long as he continues to pay his bills regularly.

According to her “The debt rescheduling scheme is a soft landing approach for customers to settle their outstanding debts on electricity consumption, as it offers discounts, ranging from 5- 25%, down to the payment of 25%, with the balance payable over four years or provision of an additional 5% discount where a customer is ready to pay off the whole debt owed instantly.

“The scheme ensures that customers who subscribe are not disconnected and are given accelerated metering process, for those without meters.”

Nevertheless, the electricity distribution firm, decried the high level of vandalism, which she said, has hampered the smooth operation of the company.

“We have continued to record an increase in the cases of vandalism across our franchise zone. We believe that aside from being an economic crime, it is also an act of sabotage, which is unfair to affected customers and the.

More worrisome, she added, is that the miscreants have continued to innovate new ideas beyond human comprehension to perpetuate their criminal acts, while announcing the introduction of an electronic billing system that will eradicate the problem being faced by customers on payment of bills.