The managing director of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Dr Henry Ajagbawa yesterday, disclosed that the company needs about N100 billion to meter all its customers in the four franchise states of Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti.
Ajagbawa made the disclosure during a meeting with billing and payment agents in Benin City, Edo state capital.
He, however, disclosed that the company does not have such huge money for the project.
He also disclosed that enumeration of customers have begun in the Government Reservation Areas (GRA) in Benin after which about 8,000 meters would be installed.
The BEDC boss added that its metres have been ready in the company’s store and that a similar event is also ongoing in Asaba, Delta.
Ajagbawa also announced the banning of staff of the distribution company from collecting cash from its customers in the various franchise states.
Ajagbawa explained that agents have been engaged to collect bills from customers for the company and not the staff.
He noted that the company has broken the monopoly of having only one aggregator with 1, 650 agents by engaging additional 11 aggregators and 10,000 agents across the four states.
“BEDC staff are banned from collecting cash from any customer. Anybody who pays cash to them is simply dashing them the money. We cannot rule out the fact that some of our staff are also fraudulent, but if we catch such persons, we will prosecute them.
“We have engaged additional 11 aggregators who will come with about 10,000 billing and payment agents across the BEDC franchise states.
“I do not understand why any customer will pay cash to any staff when we have advertised over and over again that people should not pay cash to any staff.
“BEDC does not collect cash, if you have to vend or pay bills, there are agents for that purpose. If you pay cash to any staff member and you do not have evidence of payment, it will not appear in your bill when we come for enumeration.
“If it does not appear, it means you have not paid and you will pay that money again. So it does not make sense to pay money to anybody and not collect receipts,” he said.
The managing director pointed out that staff members are only permitted to carry Point-of-Sale (POS) machines to do such transactions electronically when the company goes out on cash drive.
Ajagbawa called on the aggregators to be committed to the agreement by ensuring that agents are closer to customers in all BEDC operation areas for convenience.
