By Kingsley Chukwuka
The Jos Electricity Distribution Company, (JED), has reiterated that its billing system is segmented into bands using alphabetical order to rate areas with band premium, and others with sub-premium.
The power company said premium bands enjoy higher supply of electricity with a maximum of 24 hours electricity supply and minimum of 20 hours in a day, while other sub-premium bands enjoy between 20-8 hours electricity supply.
Rating the bands alphabetically, the Managing Director, Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Engr Abdu Bello Mohammed, in an awareness programme with stakeholders in Gombe State, described those in Band ‘A’ as premium between 24-20 hours supply of electricity, Band ‘B’ 20-16 hours electricity supply, Band ‘C’ 16-12 hours electricity supply Band ‘D’ 12-8 hours electricity supply, while Band ‘E’ 8-4 hours electricity supply in a day respectfully.
Represented by the Regional Manager, Gombe, Dr Babajada Awaulu and his Bauchi State counterpart, Engr Hafiz Saleh, Mohammed said it has become imperative to educate its customers on the billing system.
He noted that those on Band A categorized as premium will be billed higher than other sub-premium bands.
According to him: “Jos DisCo is poised to serve its customers better than before. The technical staff of the company have been placed on alert to expeditiously attend to faults that may occur at any given time”, he said.
Mohammed added that the reason for segmenting that power supply into bands is to better provide efficient services to customers in its franchise States of Bauchi, Gombe, Benue and Plateau.
However, the Head of Customer Care Jos DisCo, Mr. Lucky Akpobi rolled out the tariff rate for each of the bands to enable the customers to understand the billing system.
Mr Akpobi also used the occasion to urge the customers to pay for their consumed energy decrying the degree of customers’ indebtedness to the company.
He said it was unhealthy for customers to refuse to pay for the energy they had consumed saying, ” Jos Disco is now a private enterprise. It is no longer government-owned. We buy this energy and must pay for it. If we don’t pay, how do we remain in this business? It is ungodly not to pay for what you consumed”, he said.