Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), has announced its commitment to inject about N14 billion into improving service delivery in its franchise areas.
The Managing Director of the distribution company, Mr. Kingsley Achife, made the disclosure while speaking with journalist at the company’s headquarters, in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
He said the fund would be deployed to addressing challenges in the areas of technical infrastructures, equipment and others spheres towards ensuring effective and optimal services to its customers.
According to him, plan is underway to fix almost 500 transformers that are faulty within the its areas while additional 300 would be replaced in order to relieve the suffering of existing customers who could not be served due to faulty transformers in their communities.
He said, “For IBEDC, over N14 billion is already pledged to go into the system, there is of course the PIP which we are all waiting to see if it will be a reality or not. But we have already keyed into the programme from the Federal Government. Most of the N14 billion investments would be for our technical infrastructures. We also looking at new transformers, straightening our networks is also one of the things, an improved interface between us and transmission and there are a whole lot that will happen.
“Our transformer workshops are already working and we hope they will do between a hundred and 200 transformers within this year. For the N14 billion to be injected, a lot of work has been done in the process, we are just waiting for the money to come in. When it comes in, a lot of it will be on our equipment and we are looking between 0-18 months at least. But we are hoping it would be done in the first 12 months but the reality of deployment, when equipment come makes us to target the 0-18months.”
The IBEDC boss lauded the federal government for its various interventions most especially through investments which are loans with payback agreement, stating that the distribution company benefitted from the mass metering programme by the government.
