The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) says it will no longer accept customers repairing transformers or fixing any problem in its network.
Emeka Ezeh, EEDC Head of Communication, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba on Thursday that the company would not tolerate customers’ self help of fixing faulty installations of the company.
Ezeh said that it was not in customers’ place to repair nor buy materials for EEDC, but what was needed was to report faulty installations to the company on time.
He said that customers’ self help was a challenge that had been in the system for long, but was no longer acceptable to the organisation.
“Part of the communication we push out to our customers is that it is not in their place to repair or buy materials for EEDC.
“All they owe us is to pay their bills. Once these materials spoil or develop problems, EEDC has the responsibility of fixing these problems.
“Most times, they do not report their faulty installations to us and most times we do not even know.
“They take the transformers and go and repair, this is unsafe.
“Before you move a transformer from the network, there are steps needed to isolate the place so that the people losing the transformer will have a safe environment to carry out their operation.
“Going ahead to repair transformer by customers is not acceptable. The complaints that we are getting is the reason we came here (Aba), we work on those complaints to improve our operations,” he said.
He said EEDC had plans for its customers in Aba following its evaluation of the network’s needs, stressing that EEDC valued Aba customers so much.
“There is still this issue of poor supply and it boils down to the quantum that we are getting.
“We are doing everything possible to correct the impression that EEDC does not value Aba customers because it is a very negative impression.
“We value our customers because we know that they are here. That is why we take time to interface with them.
“Anything that we can do to improve the network, we are doing, but we need their support and understanding because without their understanding, it will be difficult to make progress in Aba,” he said.
Ezeh said the company had so much burden arising from its inherited old and decaying network which were making much financial demands on it.
“We assure our Aba customers that we are not leaving them behind, but will return to carry out those projects that we have identified which will ultimately improve the quality of service we offer them”, he said.
