Benue residents owe Jos Disco N81bn, risk disconnection

The Jos Electricity Distribution Plc (JEDCO) has urged its customers in Benue State to settle their outstanding electricity bills, which have accumulated to N81 billion or risk disconnection. Engr. Felix Adamu Shalzim, State Operating Officer, who represented the Managing Director, made the appeal yesterday during the Customer Consultative Forum held in Makurdi.  He disclosed that […]

The Jos Electricity Distribution Plc (JEDCO) has urged its customers in Benue State to settle their outstanding electricity bills, which have accumulated to N81 billion or risk disconnection.

Engr. Felix Adamu Shalzim, State Operating Officer, who represented the Managing Director, made the appeal yesterday during the Customer Consultative Forum held in Makurdi. 

He disclosed that the cumulative debt owed by customers in Benue State totals N81 billion.

Shalzim explained that Benue State’s average monthly energy consumption is 33 million kilowatt-hours (KWH), valued at N3 billion, noting however, that the company collects less than 30 percent of the amount in revenue.

He stressed that the mounting debt was hampering JEDCO’s ability to maintain and upgrade its network, adding that to address the situation,  a task force that will disconnect defaulting customers, regardless of their status, has been put in place.

Meanwhile, during the meeting, JEDCO officials provided critical safety guidelines. 

Abraham Uji advised customers to avoid constructing buildings under power lines and to install safety devices such as Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELCB), Control Switches, and Change Switches. 

He warned against hiring unauthorised personnel to tamper with the company’s network.

Alhaji Umar, Head of Customer Care and Relationship Management, reassured customers that their complaints would be addressed and encouraged them to use JEDCO’s social media platforms to report issues.

 

Also, Barr. Abdullahi Adamu, Head of Regulatory Compliance, advised those interested in investing in electricity infrastructure to adhere to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) guidelines on third-party investments.

 

Edwin Omenka, Supervisor of the Revenue Protection Unit, cautioned against tampering with prepaid meters, stating that offenders would face severe penalties.