Ikeja Electric threatens to withdraw services from customers who assault staff

Ikeja Electric, Nigeria’s largest power distribution company has again warned against continuous assault on its field staff, adding that the company will continue to withdraw services from such customers until they undertake to be courteous towards the staff.

Felix Ofulue, head of Corporate Communications of the DisCo, said this on Friday while addressing the press in Lagos, noting that the Disco has strong commitment to the safety and wellbeing of its employees and will not compromise in its efforts to safeguard this commitment.

Ofulue, said while Ikeja Electric understands that sentiments regarding utility services can be quite emotive, however, the Disco maintains that wanton attacks on the staff is completely irrational, irresponsible and unproductive, especially where Ikeja Electric has provided multiple channels through which  its customers can lodge formal complaints with respect to the service.

He said, “The truth is that if your staff does not feel safe they won’t be comfortable working for you. So, there is reassurance from the business to the staff in the field. And we take firm decisions when these things happen.

“One of such decisions is, apart from law enforcement, we also withdraw our services from that location until they write undertaken that such will not happen again. So, if you find any location where our staff is assaulted we will withdraw our services; we will have to meet and dialogue on how to prevent such from reoccurring.

Ofulue, said that Ikeja Electric has secured convictions of some culprits with some matters pending in courts, adding that the Disco also constitutes disciplinary measures against members of staff who engage in unruly behaviours towards any customer.

He explained that it is Ikeja Electric’s desire to meter all the customers, stressing that IE is leveraging the Federal Government’s National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) initiative.

Ofulue disclosed that the company received about 106,000 meters in the NMMP and has since distributed them to customers.

“We have practically done 99.9% of the meters, we have exhausted the meters completely. People are not getting meters now because we don’t have any on ground,” he said.

The IE’s head of Corporate Communication who said the one million meters were shared among the 10 discos and Ikeja Electric allocated over 106,000 meters, stressed that the company focused on customers who were impacted by the recent increase in electricity tariff, the Bands A, B, and C.

“Bands D and E are not affected by the new tariff and have no extra payment. But Bands A, B, and C were metered so that they manage what they use,” Ofulue said.

According to him, with the exhaustion of the allocated meters, the DisCo is waiting for the next phase of metering to distribute meters to more customers.

“About 50 percent of customers in the network have been metered. Over 400,000 households have been metered,” he said.

Recall, the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) was initiated in 2020 by the federal government to put an end to estimated billing of electricity consumers by DisCos.

The government sought to roll out six million meters in two years. It, however, rolled out one million meters in phase zero of the programme.

Speaking on the outstanding debt owed to the company by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Ofulue noted that it was a perennial issue and not the federal government that directly owes the company.

Recall also that IE hosted the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, recently and members promised to the Disco recover over N70.96billion customer debt.

“Federal Government is the bulk majority shareholder of all the discos; they own 40% of all the discos. So, how can you say your owner owes you?

“The issue of debt is perennial and for certain reasons, the company was appealing to the Senate because they are on the level where they lobby the government,” he said.

Ofulue hinted that deliberations and meetings are ongoing to ensure the recovery of the debt owed to the company.