Power Firm Laments High Rate Of Vandalism

Authorities of the Ibadan
Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), have cried out over frequent rate of vandalization of facilities saying the situation had caused the company huge financial losses.
The company’s Managing Director, Mr Fortunato Leynes told newsmen in Ibadan recently  that vandalisation of IBEDC’s power installations was largely responsible for poor supply in the area and appealed to community leaders to initiate a task force to tackle the menace.
Leynes, who was addressing participants at a consumer forum also recalled that aggrieved youths burnt down power transformer in Ibadan during the 2012 national fuel hike protest.
According to him, the action of the youth, which was a transfer of aggression cost the company over N150 million to rehabilitate the facility.
At the forum organized by the company to seek ideas from customers on how to improve services through mutual understanding, Leynes also decried attitudes of some consumers, which according to him had contributed to power problems. He noted that some consumers engaged in illegal connection, diversion of wires and other unacceptable practices.
The company, he said, is not unaware of the menace of tampering with meters, diversion of wires from the meters and running of same through the ceilings, all effective bypassing their electric meters.
He appealed to customers to embrace stopgap metering programmes like Credited Advanced Payment for Meeting Implementation (CAPMI), which he described as a scheme that enables customers to make advanced payment for meters.
“The cost of the meters and its accessories shall be paid with interest for a period of not more than 36 months via rebates in the energy credit purchased by the customer,” he explained.
Outrageous bills, uneven power shedding and inadequate prepaid meters were the common complaints by customers at the meeting which featured traditional rulers, community leaders, security agencies, and youths.