The Eko Electricity Distribution Company has disclosed that it is planning to install bulk pre-paid meters in all military and other security agencies’ barracks within its operational territory.
Making this disclosure in Lagos, Oladele Amoda, managing director and chief executive of the company, said the installation of the pre-paid meters would totally eliminate every form of controversy regarding the accuracy of electricity bills in the barracks.
He said all the Military formations within the company’s licence area are indebted to the company to the tune of 600 million naira with about sixty percent of the debt being owed by the Army while about thirty and ten percent of the debt profile are respectively shared by the Navy and Airforce.
Expressing his displeasure over the harassment of the company’s staff on their legitimate duties by some military personnel, he said molesting staff who were performing their lawful duties would not augur well for the promotion of military-civil relations which the high echelon of the military has been canvassing in recent time.
The Eko Disco chief helmsman said since the Distribution Company pay for energy received from the grid, no segment of customers can be allowed not to pay as no business can thrive when services rendered are not paid for by its patrons.
The EKO boss then appealed all military formations and MDA’s to make payment of electricity bills a priority on the list of their proposed expenditure. He expressed the hope that with the signing of the budget for the current financial year, many government establishments would offset their huge electricity bills.
He further appealed to military personnel having either private or official quarters outside the barracks to pay for electricity consumed in such premises instead of tagging such premises as military zone and using that as an opportunity to harass and scare the company’s staff while on their official duties.
He further disclosed that the company had to resort to disconnecting some military formations after all efforts to make them defray their huge debt to the company proved abortive, adding that the order to disconnect was only given after several letters and notices of intention to withdraw service were not responded to.
He assured all customers having complaints over their billing to lodge such complaints through any of the company’s channels of attending to customer’s complaints stressing that each complaint will be treated on its own merit with full regard for safeguarding the customer’s interest.
Olusola Bello
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