Staff sabotage Kaduna Electric revenues, as DisCo urges customers to stop cash payment to workers
Oredola Adeola
In an attempt to cure its defaults within the 60 days grace period offered by the Market Operator (MO) to the defaulting market participants, the management of Kaduna Electric has urged its customers to desist from making cash payments to its staff, warning that settlement of bills and other transactions should be made through approved channels.
Abdulazeez Abdullahi, the Disco’s Head of Corporate Communications, made this known in a statement obtained by EnergyDay on Friday.
This medium gathered that the Market Operator, on Tuesday, April 26, 2023, disconnected Kaduna Electric’s feeders from the power grid, a development that affected some under the DisCo’s franchise network areas including 33KV Abakpa, 33KV Doka, and 33KV Mogadishu.
The DisCo was suspended for non-compliance with the Market Rules, as well as having inadequate Bank Guarantees and for incomplete payments of their Market Operator’s invoices for the time-line January 2020 to February 2023, . It was later reconnected on May 1, 2023, following the intervention of the Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, Minister of Power and the recommendation of a 60-day grace period for the affected DisCos to clear their bills.
Meanwhile, Kaduna Electric in the statement charged the customers not to pay sales representatives or revenue collection officers.
Abdullahi said, “Kaduna Electric has advised its customers to henceforth pay their bills along with other transactions through approved channels and not to the company’s Sales Representatives.
“The sales representatives are to focus on marketing and customer service support going forward.
The spokesperson said that the measure was taken by the DisCo in response to customer complaints over partial or no reflection of their payments for electricity bills.
Kaduna Electric said it has provided an alternative, more convenient payment option for customers to settle their electricity bills and make other transactions without hassle. The payment options according to the company include the company’s cash offices spread in every neighborhood across its franchise states where payments will be received and on its website portal where customers can log in to make both postpaid and prepaid transactions.
Abdullahi, further said, “In addition to bills payment, customers can also settle loss of revenue and other charges via Kaduna Electric’s Customer Care App which can be downloaded on Google Play Store and on the App Store.
The statement also said customers can, from the comfort of their homes from anywhere in the world, make seamless transactions through the Apps of its third-party vendors where payment can be made conveniently.
Kaduna Electric, therefore, urged its customers to adopt any of the available options in order to avoid the complaints of payment not reflecting in their accounts.
He also said all the channels are reliable, cost-effective, and convenient to use and guarantee payment and revenue protection for both Kaduna Electric and its customers.
The spokesperson emphasised that when payments are made through the approved channels, customers will have peace of mind knowing they will not be shortchanged by unscrupulous agents.
EnergyDay gathered that the Market Operators’ defaulters found to be in non-compliance with the Market Rules for not having adequate Bank Guarantees and for incomplete payments of their Market Operator’s invoices for the time-line January 2020 to March 2023, are Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASC), a special electricity customer; nine DisCos – AEDC, BEDC, EEDC, IBEDC, Ikeja Electric, JEDC, Kaduna Electric, KEDC, PHEDC, APL Electric Company Aba.
The nine DisCos supply electricity to over 70 percent of the over 12 million registered electricity consumers while the GenCos generate significant power on the grid with NDPHC having at least seven active GenCos.
The GenCos – Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) plants and Paras Energy.
While some of the defaulting DisCos have been given a notice of intention of MO to suspend them and are given the opportunity to respond to the settlement of bills, three DisCos have been reconnected after they were disconnected from the grid last week, following the Nigerian Government’s intervention leading to a 60-day extension of the disconnection notice from May 1, 2022.
