BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company has re-introduced its Meter Asset Provider Scheme for easy acquisition of meters by customers within its jurisdiction.
The IBEDC announced this on Wednesday in Ibadan, the Oyo State through its Chief Operating Officer, John Ayodele, during a press conference that held ahead of a roadshow to create awareness on the meter scheme.
Ayodele who was represented on the occasion by Peter Oni, Head, IBEDC Strategy and Performance Office, said that MAPS was reintroduced in line with the directive by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission that customers should be provided the choice to acquire their meters through advanced payment for electricity consumption.
The IBEDC put the current metering gap at about 1.3million from the initial 1.2million gap.
The company’s COO said that “Customers will get a refund of the cost of the meter through equal instalment of energy credit whenever they vend over a period of 36 months. The MAP scheme will also run concurrently with the free meter distribution programme.”
Stating that metering was the habitat between the IBEDC and its customers, he stressed that the scheme would help to strengthen the mutually beneficial relationship between the company and its customers.
“We are re-launching the MAPS and we want the customers to be well informed to avoid being scammed, and then fight against corruption in the system.
“At the same time, we want to make our customers aware of the fact that it is a no third party affairs between IBEDC and customers,” he said, noting that phase zero of the National Mass Metering Programme had been completed.
As the DISCO transited to the next phase, he explained that “From the experience on the field, we discovered, not only within the IBEDC, even the other DISCOs that it was not sufficient for us to meter the expected number of customers. We are re-launching the MAPS. Some customers want to have their houses and properties metered.”
He added that easy acquisition of meters would enable electricity customers to measure the quantity of energy consumed.
To own a meter, he said that customers could have either the single phase at the rate of N63,061.32 or three phase meter at the rate of N117,910.69, VAT inclusive for both.
“This time around, customers have options to wait till the time the National Mass Metering gets to them, which is free or they subscribe for MAPS,” he said.
Orerome Ofun, who represented Bisi Daramola, IBEDC Head of Metering, stated that the new intervention was made to bridge the metering gap.
He said that the meters being supplied must be NOMSA certified. To get a meter under the MAP scheme, he said that customers should fill the MAP application form by visiting msms.ibedc.com or one of the offices, following which customers account verification and unique number/MAP ID would be generated.
He said that customer premises would be evaluated to ascertain suitable meter type. Meter payment with MAP ID would then be done after which the customer would be metered within 10 working days of payment.
