The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) said that the act of bypassing electricity meters was responsible for estimated billings in most communities.
Dr. Tinuade Sanda, CEO of EKEDC, made this known at a customer engagement forum organized on Thursday in Lagos.
Sanda said that the essence of the meeting was to collaborate with clients.
She said the town hall meeting also created an avenue to engage with clients and address issues facing various communities under the EKEDC network.
The head of EKEDC reiterated that the estimated billing was the product of energy theft within a community, which included bypassing electricity meters.
According to her, the act of bypassing electricity meters is one of the main causes of estimated billing.
“As a company, we bill accurately based on the consumption of each feeder, while also discovering that some customers commit energy theft within communities.
“It is necessary for all customers to be vigilant to identify those who are engaged in energy theft in the communities,” she said.
Sanda said the company would begin installing meters on poles to curb power theft and bypass meters within its network.
As for metering, Sanda said the company had started effective metering through the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme where meters would be installed within 10 working days of payment confirmation.
She urged customers to enter the MAP scheme as a way of dealing with estimated billing.
She said the company had installed more than 78,000 free meters under the National Mass Metering Program (NMMP) Phase 0 Scheme.
According to her, the NMMP is an initiative of the Federal Government, where meters are provided to customers free of charge, and the objective of the initiative is to measure all customers within five years (2025).
She said that the NMMP had been suspended, therefore Phase 1 of the program had not started yet.
“Pending when it starts, I urge you to enter the ongoing MAP scheme; it’s all to eliminate estimated billing and close the metering gap.
“The more clients that participate in the scheme, the better our chances of measuring all clients,” she said.
On infrastructure development, the EKEDC chief said the company had bought more than 120,000 transformers to improve supply and had started installation.
Mr. Femi Bakare, former Secretary General of the Itire/lkate Community Development Area, praised EKEDC’s prompt response to failures and customer service.
Bakare said the problem electricity customers were facing was huge, but the meeting created an avenue for peaceful discussion and how they could be addressed.
According to him, management has been very receptive and committed to improving energy in its coverage area.
