Ikeja Electric Plc, a power distribution company, has said it is offering willing customers an opportunity to get prepaid meters in 24 hrs.
The company said the one-day metering initiative, which commenced Tuesday at its Shomolu Business Unit for customers in Ilupeju, Oworo and Igbobi areas of Lagos State, is being carried out in cooperation with MOJEC International Ltd.
Felix Ofulue, head of corporate communications at Ikeja Electric, said in a statement that the programme, under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme, is in a bid to make sure customers willing to pay for their prepaid meters were metered as quickly as possible.
According to him, the scheme allows customers a platform to make payment and speedy response of meter installation by the distribution company.
He noted that the Nigerian government launched the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) to provide customers with free prepaid meters in order to close the country’s metering deficit.
He said Ikeja Electric had completed phase zero of the programme, adding that while waiting for the next phase to begin, the MAP programme would serve as an alternative for customers ready to pay for meters under the scheme.
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“So, we advise customers to take advantage of the initiative by Ikeja Electric and MOJEC to get metered because we are ready to ensure that the process is done and completed within 24 hours,” Ofulue said.
He also warned customers to desist from energy theft and meter bypass, stressing that anybody caught engaging in such atrocious activities would be dealt with according to regulations governing the sector.
Chantelle Abdul, group managing director of MOJEC International Holdings, said the Mobile MAP scheme was designed to bring the metering process closer to people’s doorsteps.
She said: “The MAP scheme is for customers who can afford to pay for meters and don’t want to wait for the NMMP, which is the free metering programme.
“We will be going to several places. In fact, Shomolu is our first stop but not the last stop. We are going to set up other business units under Ikeja Electric network within the next few weeks.”
Abdul noted that MOJEC has set itself to provide meters to the end-users, pointing out that metering is critical to both the consumers and the electricity providers.
She said she believes that metering creates trust between the consumer and the electricity Distribution Company and helps to shore up revenue collection efficiency.
