Electricity meters
By Constance Athekame
The Minister of Power, Mr Sale Mamman, says that the electricity metering challenge across the country is being addressed.
Mr Aaron Artimas the Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the minister, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
Artimas said that the minister spokein Yola at the inaugurationof the mass metering programme for the Yola Electricity Distribution Company.
According to Mamman, implementation of the mass metering programme is beginning to yield result.
I am glad that Nigeria has finally gotten it right on the long existing challenges of metering consumption in the country.
It is with great pleasure that I stand before you at this landmark event to inaugurate the intervention policy of the Federal Government towards closing the metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
This occasion is a clear testimony of Yola Electricity Distribution Companys (YEDC) commitment to providing its customers enhanced service delivery. he said.
Theminister said that the Nigerian electricity markethad for many years struggled with inadequate revenues, thus creating significant liquidity challenge for all market participants in the value chain.
He said that one of the major contributors to the funding challenge was the low level of metering for end-users.
According to him,this is the principal reason for customer resistance to payment of electricity bills due to the perceived lack of confidence and trust in estimated billing.
The often-repeated reason for the low level of metering has been attributed to the inability of Distribution Companies (DisCos) to raise financing for the purchase of meters, he said.
The minister also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for supporting the DisCos with the much-needed financing toward the bulk acquisition of meters.
Hedescribed the intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the provision of long-term low interest funds to the DisCos as a boost to the sector.
I am especially happy to inform you that the Federal Government of Nigeria has granted Yola Distribution Company a soft loan of N5,061 billion for sourcing of 85,376 meters.
This metercomprises 62,324 single-phase and 23,052 three-phase meters under phase zero (0) of the National Mass Metering programme.
I thus call on the management of YEDC to make good use of this facility to significantly reduce the Aggregate Technical Commercial and Collection (ATC