Mr Vincent Ekwekwu, the Manager (Operations) in Enugu Electricity Distribution Company ( EEDC), has warned customers to desist from paying EEDC staff for replacement of damaged electrical materials.
Ekwekwu gave the warning in Aba on Friday during a customers’ forum.
He said that all materials used for EEDC jobs were obtained free from their stores in Enugu and were not to being sold.
The manager advised Aba residents to get the photograph, name and identity card number of any staff of the company asking them to pay for parts to fix their facilities.
Ekwekwu was reacting to complaints by customers in Aba who said that they were being made to pay for transformers, cables, poles, and other electrical parts.
He called on the residents to report to him any staff who asked them to pay for any electrical parts for EEDC work, adding that such demands were contrary to the company’s policy.
Dr Steven Dike, a Director in EEDC, apologised on behalf of company for the customers’ complaints.
“I apologise on behalf of EEDC because our customers are our greatest assets and without them there will be no EEDC. We are at fault on many fronts,” he said.
He admitted that the EEDC had some very fraudulent workers who were extortinf people and called on landlords and tenants to give them information on such staff for appropriate actions.
He said that the company had started deploying pre-paid meters in Aba, but said that the cost of the meters was hampering their easy acquisition and deployment.
Dike said that the company spent about N10 billion to acquire prepaid meters to ensure satisfactory services to its customers this year, adding that every customer would be metered with time.
He called on Aba people to be patient with EEDC and to pay their bills so that the company would have enough money to pay its workers and do other things like purchasing meters.
Earlier, Mr Ossy Prestige, a Member representing Aba North and South at the House of Representatives, said he demanded for the forum to forestall breakdown of law and order in Aba beween residents and EEDC.
He said that Aba people had brought many complaints to him about abuse of their rights, adding that his research showed that “Aba people are paying for power not consumed”.
He therefore urged the company to ensure it addressed all the grievances of the residents in order to avoid running into crises with the people. (NAN)
IEI/TA