By Yemi Itodo

The Managing Director, Jos Electricity Distribution (JEDC) Plc, Engr. Hashim Ibrahim Bakori, on Thursday, said postpaid customers across the company’s franchise states of Bauchi, Benue, Gombe and Plateau were indebted to the company to the tune of N115 billion.

Bakori, who decried the colossal debt said it had greatly impinged on the operations of the company, stressing that the postpaid customers debts were different from the cost of energy losses as a result of energy theft.

Bakori made the disclosure in Jos, Plateau State, during the launch of the company's 5-year Corporate Strategic Plan, to kick start a new goal to be achieved by the DISCO.

According to him, "If nothing is done to bridge the gap, a lot will go wrong and that is why we are launching the Corporate Strategic Plan, and by the time we are done, people will start seeing improvements on our energy supply across our franchise States".

The MD further explained that, the company had "consulted reputable company in the world to come and partner with us in moving the company forward".

Bakori was optimistic of the company's improved service delivery, assuring customers that "From today you will see a very new Jos DisCo".

He, however, lamented that, despite the laudable efforts by the new management of JED PLC to achieving qualitative service delivery to customers, vandalism and energy theft still remain huge challenges to the company.

"Despite these efforts, the company is currently bedeviled by some man-made challenges. These challenges range from vandalism and theft of our installations, energy theft, to customers' huge indebtedness to the company", Bakori added.

He said, "In 2021 alone, vandals and thieves have touched about 200 distribution transformers, armored cables, copper earth wires, transformer oil, feeder pillars, copper bars, several spans of aluminum conductors, line insulators, etc",

Also speaking, the Chief Commercial Officer of Jos DisCo, Engr. Mansir Nakande, said to achieve the desired level of reliable power supply, each of the 11 DisCos developed a 5-year Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), which was reviewed and approved by Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), on 29th April 2021.

Nakande said the PIP plan for 5 years is put at N47.23 billion, excluding the investment in customers metering.

Earlier, the Chairman, Jos DisCo Plc, Alhaji Babanginda Inuwa, in his welcome address, said the new vision of the power company would henceforth become the backbone of JEDC's growth.

According to him, "The purpose of the new 5-years strategic plan is to help demonstrate how JED intends to break away from inefficiencies and inadequacies".

Meanwhile, in order to meet customers satisfaction, JEDC Plc said it had installed and commissioned about 88,500 prepaid meters from January to date, at the cost of N5.6bn.

The company had also planned to invest not less than N7.2bn on its network expansion and reinforcement.