- Eko Disco Boosts Distribution Capacity with 100 New Transformers
As part of its efforts to ensure that its customers do not celebrate Christmas and New Year in darkness, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has acquired 100 new 500KVA transformers to replace the failed transformers in its network.
Speaking recently when he showed journalists the transformers at the company’s mega store in Ijora, Lagos, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of EKEDC, Mr Oladele Amoda said the 100 transformers would be added to 38 transformers that were previously acquired to replace all failed transformers in the company’s network.
According to him, some of the company’s transformers are no longer in good working conditions.
He said with the current inability of the Eko Disco and other power companies to access credit from the banks, the company’s directors intervened personally to obtain loan from Zenith Bank on behalf of the company for the acquisition of the transformers.
“We will not like any of our customers to celebrate Christmas or New Year in darkness. That was why we quickly approached our directors because there is no way Eko Disco can access credit from the banks. So, our directors went to Zenith Bank to actually take a loan on our behalf for us to get 100 Nos 500KVA transformers and the 38 we had acquired, so that within the next two weeks, we will replace all the failed transformers in our system so that the affected customers will not celebrate Christmas in darkness,” he said.
“This is part of our customer care activities. Customer is the reason why we are in business and the only commodity we sell is electricity. It is only the customers that electricity and we can’t get electricity from the grid and keep. So, we have to distribute,” he added.
Amoda however added that the company expects her customers to reciprocate this gesture by paying their bills promptly.
He also urged the communities who will benefit from the transformers not to see them as public property but as their own so that they can help the company to safeguard the transformers against vandalism by unscrupulous elements.
“We cannot continue to invest huge sum of money into network improvement like we are doing and some people will be allowed to vandalise such equipment,” he said.
Speaking on the company’s rollout of free prepaid meters, Amoda stated that the company signed a partnership agreement with Huawei of China, adding that the company currently has over 100,000 prepaid meters in stock for distribution to customers.
“We have commenced bill reconciliation and verification exercise tagged Eko CARE (Eko Customer Account Reconcilliation Exercise). This is a way of repackaging energy audit to give it a caring face. Customers with wrong connection leading to energy theft can come to us on their own for rectification without being penalised. Those who wait till we discover meter by-pass or energy theft will be penalised,” Amoda explained.
