IBEDC customers’ debt hits N67bn in Ogun

The Chief Executive Officer of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Engr. Kingsley Achife yesterday said the residential consumers in Ogun State are owing the company a whooping sum of over N67bn.

He said the debt is already a burden to the company.

Achife disclosed this at a community engagement held at the IBEDC head office, Leme, Abeokuta for its customers within Abeokuta metropolis and Sagamu.

Represented by Mrs Busolami Tunwase, Lead Media Relations Officer, IBEDC, Ibadan, Achife disclosed that the time is now for the consumers to begin to pay their debts to avoid disconnection.

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Achife said, “We have called this meeting to seek better working relationships with our customers but this we cannot do if they are not paying for the services being rendered. As we speak, customers in Ogun State are owing us over N67bn, this is very huge and we all know that no business can survive with suffocating debt like this. So we are appealing to them to pay up before we begin to disconnect them.

“Another issue is that of theft of the energy whereby the customers are short-changing the company. They are either not paying for what they use or not paying completely for the energy consumed.

“Some customers do this by bypassing their meters, some don’t have meters at all, they just connect to their houses directly. They do these mostly in the night, this is pure economic sabotage. The people should stop this, they should get their meters and eradicate problems of crazy billings.

“In addition to this, is the use of illicit meters, when the customers don’t buy such meters from us the money goes elsewhere and we have made the meters available. You don’t even need a third party to obtain your meters, all you have to do is to pay into a designated bank account. Another thing here is the dangers of using illicit meters.

“This could cause a fire outbreak and electrical shock among others. To avoid this danger, the customers should patronise IBEDC for their meters, which have been tested and approved by relevant regulatory bodies”.