KEDCO pleads for understanding from Kebbi customers

The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has appealed to its customers in Kebbi State to bear with it for its recent intermittent load shedding exercise and power supply schedule review.

The Head, Corporate Communication, KEDCO, AbdulAziz Abdullahi, made this appeal in an interview with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.

Abdulaziz said that the regional office was lately forced by both natural and manmade phenomenon to embark on load shedding in parts of the state.

He, however, stressed that the exercise had never warranted customers’ blackout that lasted for as long as a week.

“We plead with customers over load shedding of electricity in the state and urge our esteemed customers to bear with the situation, and assist the company by paying their bills regularly.

“The reason for this load shedding of electricity supply in the state is that the generating capacity of the hydro-stations have gone low due to low water level occasioned by the dry season.

“This has brought down the total generation into the national grid by about thirty percent and the allocation to our company was equally affected,” the KEDCO spokesman said.

Dr Aminu Zuni, a Kebbi State resident, said that the intermittent power load shedding in the state had caused businesses and educational activities to crumble.

Zuni complained that in spite of the epileptic power supply, the high electricity bills had kept coming to the residents.

“Sometimes, KEDCO officials will suddenly enter a customer’s residence to readjust his prepaid meter without their consent,” he alleged, adding that presently he spent N15,000 on recharge of his meter monthly.

“How much is my salary?” Zuni queried.

Another resident, Haruna Yaqubu, commended the Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu, for the efforts he had made to improve electricity supply to the state.

Yaqubu, however, said that: “before, Kebbi State used to enjoy 22 hours of electricity but today we are experiencing five hours load shedding in the state.

“I voted for Gov. Bagudu because of the efforts he had made about constant electricity supply in the state in his four years in office.

“I urge government to help us to stabilise power supply, because there is nothing we can enjoy in Kebbi if electricity supply in the state is not stable,” the resident pleaded.