The management of Ikeja Electric on Wednesday said the company was set
to embark on massive installation of smart meters within the zone in
September.
Abiodun Ajifowobaje, the Chief Executive Officer, announced this at a
consultation meeting on tariff review with the Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria, professional bodies and association in Lagos.
Ajifowobaje said the company had installed 2,120 smart meters in
August to its numerous consumers free of charge as a pilot scheme in
all the units of the company.
He said the aim of the scheme was to eliminate estimated billing and
ensure that all consumers within the zone were metered.
Ajifowobaje said it was pathetic that 24 out of 2,120 meters installed
by the company had been bypassed by consumers.
He said: “When we came on board in November 1, 2013, we discovered
that out of 138,000 prepaid meters installed, 78,000 meters were
bypassed by consumers within the zone.
“This was the reason why we introduced smart meters, because we can
easily identify any of our consumers that bypasses it.
“As I am speaking to you now, 24 meters out of the 2,120 meters
installed in August have been bypassed and I can see it from my
office.”
The chief executive officer urged the associations to embrace the
tariff review by the company to promote uninterrupted power supply.
He lamented that energy consumption was being subsidised by the
government before the privatisation, adding that they were running the
company at a loss.
Ajifowobaje said that out of 100 per cent billing sent out by the
company, 60 per cent went to Generation Companies, 25 per cent to
Transmission Company of Nigeria, while it was left with 15 per cent.
He said what would be left could not guarantee adequate power supply
to the numerous consumers.
The chief executive officer said there would be an increase in tariff
but it would come down later.
Responding, Ambrose Uche, the Chairman of Ikeja Branch of MAN, said
the association was not ready to dialogue with the company because the
tariff review case was in court.
Uche said the case would come up on September 29 in Lagos.
He urged the company to allow court to decide on the issue before
deliberating on it.
The chairman said MAN could not operate on a tariff that would be
changing all the time.
NAN.
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