The Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) has revealed that the government of Bauchi State owes it a debt of N2.3 billion from 2013 to date as outstanding monthly bills of state owned organizations.
Regional manager of the company in Bauchi, Auwal Baba Jada, made the revelation in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in his office while reacting to citizens’ outcry on lack of adequate electricity supply in the state.
He said the government does not pay more than 50 per cent of its bills as at when due.
According to him, despite the huge unpaid bills owed by both government and residents, the company supplies a minimum of six hours power in all parts of the state capital per day.
Jada advocated the purchase of either prepaid or postpaid meters by customers saying they are more effective and efficient as people are only charged base on their consumption.
The JEDC manager further explained that prepaid meters were paid before the installation while in post paid meters, people pay at the end of the month according to what they consume.
On the disparity in the distribution of the electricity among the different areas of the state, Jada clarified that some areas get less electricity because they have overloaded power transformers hence, the company switch them off for some hours of the day for the transformers ‘to rest’.
He also claimed that it is the duty of the federal government to provide the power transformers because they are expensive while JEDC provides only distribution transformers.
Earlier, some of the state residents interviewed by DAILY POST, lamented that the company has not improved its services since after the privatization of the defunct NEPA.
One of the respondents, Malam Danlami Baban Takko called on the federal government to declare state of emergency in the power sector.
He alleged that in his area, they sometimes spend eight hours without power and still will be compelled to pay at the end of the month for the light they did not enjoy.
