TheCable

The management of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has asked customers to report suspected cases of meter bypass and get compensation.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ibrahim Shawai, KEDCO’s head of corporate communications, said the information will be treated with confidentiality and the whistleblower will get five percent of what the defaulters are charged.

Shawai said the activities to be reported include energy theft and electrical equipment vandalism, which causes serious economic sabotage and requires efforts by all stakeholders to address.

“Power installations and equipment are to ensure adequate and constant power supply to all our numerous customers so any attempt to sabotage such installations affect both KEDCO and customers,” Shawai said.

“Customers can report any case of vandalism, power theft and meter bypass to KEDCO and the customer will be given five percent of what the defaulters are charged.

“In addition, we are guaranteeing that your information will be treated with utmost confidentiality as we are mindful of the security of those who report such activities.

“We assure customers that whatever initiative we take is for the improvement of power supply and it is in that spirit that we seek customers’ cooperation in reporting any attempt to sabotage our efforts at delivering quality services to our numerous customers in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.”

According to the Association of Electricity Distributors (ANED), losses traced to energy theft and poor payment amounted to N155.89 billion in 2018.

In its 2019 first-quarter report, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said N2 is lost to energy theft and poor distribution equipment for every ₦10 worth of electricity received by DisCos.