Fashola To Launch Free Distribution Of 50, 000 Prepaid Meters In Sokoto

The minister of Power, Works and housing Babatunde Fashola is scheduled to officially launch the distribtion of free 50, 000 prepaid meters to consumers of Kaduna Electric Distribution Company (KAEDCO) in Sokoto, the managing director, Engr Garba Haruna, has said.Engr Garba, who was in Sokoto to inspect KAEDCO facilities, as well as seek further ways of cooperation with the state government, assured that power situation would improve in Nigeria if only gas supply stabilised and consumers paid their bills as expected.According to Garba, the 50, 000 prepaid meters will be distributed to KAEDCO franchise states which include, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto.While lamenting that majority of costumersdefault in payment of electricity bills, he said KAEDCO had potential customers of about 2 million.He, however, decried that only about 400, 000 were up-to-date in electricty bill payment, as the remaining 1.6 million consumers used power free of charge,  hence they were not captured in KAEDCO data.The manager who decried that governmentagencies as well as security formations are their greatest debtors, added that, they were been owed over 70 billion in Kaduna state.

Commenting on the state of Sokoto State Independent Power Project (IPP), Engr. Garba said the project is a reality, hence itsalmost 90 percent completed and has the capacity of providing enough power for thestate, which explains why they have come to seek partnership on improved power supply.He also appealed to the people of sokoto state that KAEDCO was not behind the epileptic or unsatisfactory power supply in the state. Adding that it is the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) that is responsible for transmitting power to state,  they only distribute the 8 percent of total megawatts given to them by the TCN.Engr. Garba was accompanied on the inpection visit by KAEDCO Chairman Boardof Directors, Yusuf Hamisu, the Chief Engineering and Technical Services, Engr. Bello Musa, and the Chief Marketing and Customer Officer, Murtala Bello.He added that transmitting light to states was the responsibility of the Transmission Company of Nigeria not that of the distribution companies.

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