The Emir of Gwandu and Chairman, Council of Chiefs in Kebbi State, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu Bashar, has directed District Heads and Community leaders in the Emirate to support the new strategy designed for timely payments of monthly electricity bills to the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company in order to avert impending power outage in the State.
A statement by Kaduna Electric in Kaduna said the Emir, who was visibly worried by the rate of non payment by electricity consumers in the State, said he personally endorsed the idea of mass disconnection of defaulters, adding that it should not be business as usual.
Bashar said on Friday in his palace that since the power sector has been privatised, the company in charge of distribution should not be allowed to suffer as a result of non payment of bills by consumers.
He said the attitude of wastage, misuse and default in payments are not in tune with “our cultural and religious beliefs therefore should be stopped henceforth”.
Earlier in his detailed presentation on the matter, the Special Adviser to the Kebbi State Governor on Political and Energy Matters, Alhaji Yusuf Haruna, the Sardaunan Gwandu, narrated the ordeal faced by the Distribution Company every month as a result of non payment, saying that failure to improve will lead to mass outage of electricity.
Haruna however stated that instead of allowing the matter to get out of hands, his team came up with a strategic plan that will involve Emirs, Districts, Village Heads and Wakilai to collaborate in ensuring improvement in payments starting from next month.
Haruna emphasised that under the new arrangement, no defaulter will be spared, including Kaduna Electric staff who make compromises with consumers to defraud the Company.
He maintained that the current electricity stability in the State was attained by commitment and attention from the State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, which he said will not be allowed to be rubbished by anybody in the State, adding that the huge infrastructural investment made by the Government will not be in vain.
Similar stakeholders meetings are expected to take place in all District and Ward levels to propagate the new idea of bills payments
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