Metering: AEDC urges patience from customers

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has urged customers in its franchise to exercise patience with its National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

Mr Oyebode Fadipe, General Manager Corporate Communications, made the appeal in an interview with our reporter on Monday in Abuja.

“We want to appeal to customers to be patient as the programme is ongoing.

“We are still at phase zero which is about 101,000 plus and AEDC is continuing with it, in line with the Federal Government’s directive.

“We hope that by the time we finish that phase, we can move into the next phase, but we are making progress with it,’’ he said.

According to him, the company depends on the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) to give meters, adding that the phase zero is supposed to use the stock balance of the MAP.

“So, we depend solely on the MAP and it is at their pace that we are moving. Since customers are paying, it is when they give meters we provide locations for instalment.”

Fadipe noted that the company was very much interested in the metering programme.

He said it was not a good business for AEDC to have large customers on the estimated billing platform, adding that metering would help it to do the energy accounting.

“We are able to know how much energy customers are taking. If all customers are metered, this makes it easy for us.

“But when they are not metered, there is a major problem. So, we are interested in it.

“Secondly, it speaks of the integrity of our billing and it helps customers to also control their own consumption. It is when you have credit on your meter that you will use electricity.

“So, we want to appeal to customers to be patient. This year is going to be a turnaround year for the power sector,” Fadipe said.