Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) Plc has collapsed its five fragmented vending platforms into one consolidated system for efficient selling and purchase of token for electricity by its
customers.
Engr. Ernest Mupwaya, Executive Director, Commercial Services, AEDC
disclosed this while briefing members of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee
on Investigation of the Power Sector from 1999-2015 and Unbundling of
the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Abuja.
The ED who represented the Managing Director of the company, Mr Neil
Croucher at the forum, said the AEDC decided to consolidate the five
independent vending platforms into a modern and efficient one to
guarantee speedy service delivery to its customers.
With this consolidation, the Engr. Mupwaya said, all registered
customers can purchase their electricity units at any of the company’s
Area Offices or Service Centres irrespective of location.
He listed the benefits of integrating the vending systems into a
single one for the company’s customers to include a variety of options
to choose from for the purchase of tokens for their electricity,
thereby allowing them to now buy electricity units at the periods and
points that are convenient for them using such payment channels as
inter-switch, credit card, ATMs, POS at supermarkets and filling
stations, mobile money (electronic wallets on cell phones), etc.
In this regard, the new payment options have lifted the burden off the
shoulders of customers in terms of waiting in long queues amongst
other inconveniences they were hitherto subjected to.
For AEDC, the benefits of the consolidation, the ED said, include
improvement in revenue collection, reduction in the commercial losses
suffered by the company, improvement in commercial efficiency by way
of processing payments, and providing a more secured way of sales and
cash collection.
Engr. Mupwaya revealed that AEDC is collaborating with three
companies-e-Tranzact International Plc, Kallak Power Limited and
Pagatech Limited-as vendors to facilitate electricity sales and
revenue collection through the various electronic power purchase
options.
Prior to the takeover of AEDC by the current management, the company
was operating five independent vending platforms which compelled
customers to buy their electricity tokens only at vending platforms
designated for their areas of coverage, thereby forcing many customers
to travel long distances and wait in long queues trying to buy
electricity units.
AEDC is the company legally licenced to market and distribute
electricity to consumers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Niger, Kogi, and Nasarawa states.
In the meantime, the company has commenced a series of Town Hall
meetings that will enable management engage with staff to share ideas
on how best to move the AEDC forward. The first in the series of the
Town Hall meetings was held last Saturday in Abuja and had staff of
the three regions in the FCT (North, South and Central) in attendance.
The meetings will continue coming Saturday in Lokoja for staff in Kogi
Region, while those of Nasarawa and Niger regions are scheduled for
October 3rd and 10th respectively.
