Achife: IBEDC Looses N3bn to Electricity Thefts Monthly

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan 

The Managing Director, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Mr. Kingsley Achife has stated that the distribution company looses over N3 billion every month to electricity thefts by some of its customers.

Achife, who made the disclosure at the Electricity Consumer Complaint Resolution Platform, organised by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), said these customers fall into the categories of those who don’t make payment on their bills, those not paying actual amount and those who bypass their meters.

Represented by the Head, Customer Support, Mr. Ayoola Adio, he lamented that the company run on deficit every month, stating that this prevents it from serving its customers better.

He maintained that the development is worrisome and necessitated cooperation between the company and electricity users to curb the menace, urging customers to pay their bill promptly, report any default and support the company so as to have money to resolve issues affecting them.

According to him, “We are handling our customers well, we feel pains whenever customers come for complaints because our duty is to serve them better, the major complaint from the customers is over billing and the only solution to that is metering but we are trying to bridge the gap.

“We want to sensitise our customers to desist from electricity theft as we loose not less than N3 billion every month to this menace, it is important for them to know that there is now a provision under the law that punish violators.”

The Executive Vice Chairman, FCCPC, Mr. Babatunde Irukera, in his remarks, urged electricity consumers to contribute their quota towards ensuring adequate electricity supply, describing the event as a step in the right direction, stating that the platform would give consumers opportunity to pour out their mind and interface with IBEDC on challenges facing them.

He said, “This platform will make the service providers to understand that their business is not just provision of electricity but having feedback from customers and demonstrate emphaty. It is in the face of this that we get better interaction on both side.

“It is regrettable that customers’ experience in getting stable electricity has not improved over the years, if we fail to do the needful we won’t be able to find solutions to the problem.”