Electricity Supply: AEDC Kick-Starts MAP Programme With 900,000 Customers Target

The NERC Chairman, Prof. James Momoh,  Represented by the General Manager (Finance and Management Services), Abdulkadir Shetima (centre) cutting the tape to flag off AEDC MAP programme. He is being assisted by the Managing Director, AEDC, Engr. Ernest Mupwaya (Right) and the Managing Director, MOJEC Group of Companies, Chantel Abdul (Left)

***As NERC Reels Out Guidelines

By CLEMENT NWOJI, Abuja

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has kick-started massive metering of electricity consumers targeting coverage of 900,000 customers in the first instance in its franchise areas through the Federal Government regulated Meter Asset Provider (MAP) programme.

The Managing Director of AEDC, Engr. Ernest Mupwaya while assuring that the projected would be completed within 36 months, urged all to take full advantage of the programme to “close the metering gap and end the era of estimated billing and its associated controversies.”

This is even as the Federal Government through the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) reiterated the objectives of the MAP programme.

According to the Chairman of NERC, Prof. James Momoh who commissioned the AEDC flag off of MAP programme, the objectives include elimination of estimated billings in the country; revenue assurance implying that customers will be willing to pay and the revenues will impact on the industry as a whole; and the creation of competitive metering service industry by bring in new players instead of the distribution companies (DisCos) alone.

Prof. Momoh who was represented by the NERC General Manager (Finance and Management Services), Abdulkadir Shetima, further declared that in the regulation guiding the MAP programme, there are roles and responsibilities for the DisCos, Customers, MAP and NERC.

He said deadlines were also provided in the regulation so that each party will be certain of when to complete whatever that is expected to be done so that there will be no delay at every point in time.

According to him, “Everyone must meet the deadline so that the customer gets the service at the time that it is required. For instance, the meter must be installed within 10 days of making payment and there will be sanctions if that deadline is not met; and to ensure that there will be sanctions, the MAP is required to provide bank performance guarantee that will be called upon. So that they will loose money if they delay to provide the meter even by one day, there will be consequences.

The brand new meters on display by MOJEC International

“Number two, if the meter gets bad, they will be replaced without any payment by the MAP. For the entire 10 years period, if the meter don’t work, they must be replaced within two days. If they are not replaced within two days, the customer will not make the monthly meter service charge payment. That payment will cease.

“Another aspect in the regulation is that if for some reasons, there is prolonged outage, for example we have had some communities where a transformer is blown and they are out of electricity for months, the customer that key into this MAP framework is not to pay for the meter service charge and will not even pay for the electricity if there is outage for more than two weeks.

“All these are meant to push the electricity distributor to sort out the problem and provide electricity because the DisCo will be losing money since they cannot bill if there is an outage that lasted for more than two weeks.”

Shetima commended the AEDC for setting the pace in the MAP programme being the first DisCo throughout the federation to embark on the project and for their collaboration with NERC in every aspect of the programme.

Further, he commended MOJEC International for being the foremost meter manufacturing company in Nigeria.

Under the MAP programme, the vendors selected for the AEDC include the MOJEC International, TUBOR Energy and MERON Consortium. While MOJEC is handling Federal Capital Territory and Kogi state, TUBOR operate in Niger state and MERON operate in Nasarawa state which are franchise areas of the AEDC.

For the acquisition of the meters, single phase and three phase costs N36,991.50 and N67,055.85, respectively. The flag off ceremony of the MAP programme was simultaneously done on Friday in Abuja, Narasawa, Kogi and Niger States.