28th February, 2017
The Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC), has procured 80,000 prepaid meters at N6 billion for distribution to its customers, according to Mr Verr Jirbo, Executive Director in charge of marketing.
Jirbo, in Jos on Tuesday, said that 40,000 meters had been deployed to customers in its four states of Plateau, Gombe, Bauchi and Benue.
“The rest are already being shared among the four states; our target is to capture all customers to eliminate complaints about billing systems,” he said.
Jirbo said that additional 50,000 prepaid meters would be procured before the end of the year, and advised customers yet to get the facility to be patient.
“We install close to a thousand prepaid meters in Jos alone, everyday; it is the first time massive metering is being witnessed in such magnitude in the city,” he said.
The official said that emphasis was on areas of commercial losses.
“We try to give priority to areas where we suffer more losses so as to reduce them to tolerable limits,” he explained.
He said that the company had captured 450,000 customers in its database, and explained that the feat had shored up its revenue collection.
“Revenue collection has gone up. The collection efficiency has gone up by 40 percent, but we are still counting losses as a company,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the collection would further improve with accurate billing, metering, customer enumeration and proper classification, as well as effective data management.
Jirbo said that JEDC had executed many projects that would improve power supply across the four states of its coverage.
“We have provided and upgraded more distribution transformers and installed many new distribution lines in areas with more customers.
“We have also upgraded the network and strengthened the customer information management system,” he said.
Jirbo said that JEDC had also established robust customer care units in the four states, and advised customers to lodge complaints on any noticed anomaly so as to help the firm to serve them better.