John Donnachie, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company
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’Femi Asu
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc said it recorded a shortfall of N3.2bn on energy bills last year.
The company said it was being owed N5.9bn by the Federal Government and other government agencies for electricity supplied to them as of July 31, 2015.
The Managing Director, IBEDC, Mr. John Donnachie, who described the environment as tough, however said the company was making effort to improve its customer service.
Donnachie stated this at a briefing in Ibadan, adding, “We want to start this process with much transparency. We don’t have a magic wand. I wish we had. Tomorrow is not going to be perfect,” he said.
The Deputy Managing Director, Mr. John Ayodele, said the Federal Government accounted for 90 per cent of the debt owed the company, with the military owing a total of N4bn as of July 31, 2015.
Ayodele described the distribution companies as revenue collectors for other stakeholders along the electricity value chain, saying the Discos are only to retain 25 per cent of collection from customers, while 75 per cent goes to the generating companies, gas suppliers, the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the regulators.
“The electricity value chain is highly challenging, and unfortunately the Discos bear the biggest brunt from customers because we are the customers-facing end and the collection agents for the chain.
“The liquidity issues make it difficult to resolve the problem of inadequate generation and transmission constraints. More importantly is the fact that distribution companies are unable to meet the operational costs of distributing power to their customers, payment to generating and transmission companies, let alone their capital investments.”
According to him, to avoid collapse of the power sector and ensure that customers get increase in power supply, there is a need to ensure that the entire power sector value chain is funded through an appropriate tariff structure.
The IBEDC DMD said, “We have about 1.5 million customers in IBEDC. I say customers, not consumers. We have far more, but a lot of them are not paying bills. Since inception, we have done over 100,000 new meters, apart from replacement. But we have about 65 per cent of our customers unmetered, which is what we have to use whatever money we get to speed up.
“This year alone, we have ordered for almost 90,000 meters. Presently, we have received some of this order and the process of installation is on. By our business plan, we have the intention of over 200,000 meters in a year.”