IBEDC sets up 60-man team to curb energy losses

IBADAN, Oyo, Nigeria – The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) says it has commenced a major “Revenue Protection Campaign”, with a crack team of over 60 executives and officers to curb aggregate, technical and commercial losses.

The Chief Operating Officer, Mr John Ayodele, made the disclosure in after inaugurating the team in Ibadan. Ayodele said that revenue protection was needed to block leakages that could make the company go under.

He said the trend had made many DISCOs unable to pay their bills to the market operators and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET). He said lack of efficient revenue protection measures had been a major challenge as it deals with illegal consumption of power, prepaid meter bypass, under billing, wrong tariff classification of customers and energy theft.

“IBEDC discovered that energy theft and meter tampering accounts for about 60 per cent of revenue losses across its franchise, between January and October and the company has dealt with about 1,333 cases of meter bypass. The establishment of the IBEDC PPM team is another initiative taken by the company to curb revenue leakages,” 

Ayodele said other measures included the use of advance metering infrastructure, which allows for two-way communication between the meter and the utility provider.

“It also includes whistle-blowing initiative to get and investigate reports and tip offs on corruption for prosecution.”

Also, Ayodele while receiving the management of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), said that “the losses and financial challenges in the sector were worsened by multiple taxation and huge debt by government agencies and parastatals”.

Mr Ajani Adeleke, the Zonal Director, South-West of NESREA, urged every Nigerian to be environment safety conscious, especially concerning the environmental regulations.