N120B debt affecting electricity supply, JED MD laments

The Managing Director, Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED), Engr. Abdu Mohammed, has lamented the huge debt owed by customers in its four franchised States of Gombe, Bauchi, Benue and Plateau State.

He said customers’ apathy towards bill payment is currently affecting the growth of the company and the efficiency in energy supply.

“As at the moment, customers are indebted to the company to the tune of over one hundred and twenty billion naira (N120B), company-wide. If you do not pay, how do we get money to invest in our networks?”, Mohammed said in Gombe at the weekend during the Customers Consultative Forum.

The forum organised to educate and sensitize customers on the augmented services available in consuming energy from the company’s network, also delved into the frustration of the company in providing efficient power supply when consumers evade bill payment”, a statement from the Head Corporate Communications, JED, Dr. Friday Adakole Elijah, said.

“When you pay your bill promptly, it will help the company to procure more energy and serve you better”, the Regional Manager, JED, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar who represented the Managing Director, said.

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“Your behaviour for not paying for your consumed energy is colossally impinging on the company’s quest to solidify its networks to the desired level even though several billions of naira had been expended by JED”, Mohammed continued.

He said when there were natural disasters in the Gombe and Bauchi axis of the company’s operations affecting some installations,  the company moved in expeditiously and fixed them.

“Regularly, our distribution transformers are being vandalised and we are fixing them. We are expected to pay to the market where we obtain this energy on credit. If you don’t pay, how do we pay for this energy that we give to you? I don’t think that any one of us can go to the filling station, take fuel and not pay for it”, he lamented.

The JED boss however lauded the Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Yahaya for supporting the company for prompt payment of energy consumed by the State government.