By joshua 
——- Takes Delivery Of 54,198 Out Of 75,870 Meters Allocated For Distribution To Customers
By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City.
As a result of the present economic situation in the country
occasioned by COVID-19, the management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC Plc says the company has offered discount on outstanding debt ranging from 5% to 25% to customers in its franchise area.
Funke Osibodu, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, BEDC, disclosed this in Benin on Thursday during a media parley attended by media practitioners drawn from the four states the company covered.
The CEO who was flanked by top management staff of the company at the media parley, said the discount known as Debt Rescheduling Scheme (DRS) was to ensure customers who subscribe are not disconnected but given accelerated metering process.
“Recognizing the financial difficulties that customers are going through, especially during this period of COVID 19, BEDC has begun a Debt Rescheduling Scheme (DRS) for customers in its coverage areas.
“This is a soft-landing approach for customers to settle their outstanding debts on electricity consumption as it offers discount ranging from 5% to 25%, down payment of 25%, with balance payable over 4 years or provision of an additional 5% discount where a customer pays off such outstanding instantly.
“The scheme ensures that customers who subscribe are not disconnected and are given accelerated metering process (for those without meters),” she said.
Mrs. Funke Osibodu said that the company has taken delivery of 54,198 out of the 75,870 meters allocated for distribution to customers under the NMMP Phase 0 level whilst BEDC has completed the installation of nearly 40,000 meters across the four states that it cover as at July 2021 ending.
She appealed to consumers in the franchise states to help cum the continues vandalization of BEDC’s property in the region.
According to Mrs. Osibodu, ” BEDC is installing meters on the pole to reduce the incidence of bypass and other forms of energy theft which is prevalent in the network.”
She said, “recall that in late 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari initiated the National Mass Metering Program (NMMP) with the mandate of ensuring that 1million meters are deployed to electricity customers nationwide. Each distribution company (Disco) was allocated a certain number of meters to be shared amongst their customers.
Speaking on the the Relationship between BEDC and Community, Mr. Osibodu said, “Between 2019 and early this year, BEDC has connected a total number of 108 transformers back to the national grid across its franchise states of Delta, Edo, Ekiti and Ondo. Out of this figure, 34 were done in Edo, 55 done in Delta, 12 in Ondo, while 7 of such transformers were reconnected in Ekiti respectively.
According to her, “Some of the benefiting communities are: In Edo are Woghiren-Ugbor in Etete,Iguadolor in Evbuotubu, Iyanamo and Ohoghobi Phase 2 in Etete, Egbaen, UBTH, Ekhor Nuwaya in Ikpoba Hill.
“In Ekiti, we had Ijelu-Ekiti, jero-Ekiti, Omu-Ekiti, Erinmope and Hospital 2 communities.
“In Ondo state, we had Graceland 2 Estate, Akure, Imoru and St. Catherine in Owo town, Oke-Ile, Odibo, Iluyemi, Okelusi, Ikota, Ibuji, and Erigi all in Igbara-Oke in Akure.
“In Delta, communities that benefitted include; Odibo Layout in Warri, Idumu Ogo in Asaba, Okiirigbagha in Sapele, Aladja, Ogbe Tjoh in Otor Udu, Finger of God Estate, Ugboba, Ugbolu in Asaba, Church of God Mission, Warri, Obomkpa in Asaba, Aro in Ughelli and Owawa in Udu.” She concluded.