Ikeja Disco Apologises to Customers over Zero Power Supply

Ejiofor Alike The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Plc has apologised to its esteemed customers over the state of power supply in the last few weeks, particularly the zero allocation it received from the national grid on Sunday.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Abiodun Ajifowobaje, said in a statement yesterday that the dismal power situation was a shared challenge across the nation.

He explained that the situation was particularly critical as allocation to Ikeja Electric fell to less than 10 per cent of the energy required to serve all its customers from the national grid

“As at yesterday, allocation to Ikeja Electric has been zero as against 1,250 megawatts required to satisfy our customers. The situation is quite challenging. However, we will do all that is humanly possible within the circumstances and assure all our customers that we will continue to ensure equitable distribution of power received within our network,” he said.

Ajifowobaje said Ikeja Electric had since placed its staff on stringent schedules to ensure that customer issues are promptly addressed via its contact centre and walk-in experience centres.

“We, on behalf of our customers, plead with the government and all stakeholders to address all issues militating against the availability of power to save lives and boost economic prosperity in Nigeria. It is our hope that these issues are resolved, so that we can continue to serve our customers without any inhibitions,” he added.

The company announced recently that it was set to begin the installation of about 300,000 smart meters acquired at a cost of $106 million, under its Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to curb energy theft and eliminate estimated billing system.

Ikeja Electric’s Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) is a state-of-the-art technology that enables utilities to read, disconnect and connect meters remotely and to detect individual customer outages quickly using a wireless communications network.

According to Ajifowobaje, the metering project will replace today’s electric meters with “next generation” electronic meter technology that improves customer service and enables customers to proactively manage their energy use and save money by participating in new programmes with time differentiated rates and demand response options.

He said the new metering initiative known as “Smart Metering’’ would address some challenges associated with billing system.

The pilot project would start on May 25 with 2,000 meters for customers who have electricity challenges or non-functional meters.