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Tag: KEDCO

  • Zamfara Govt. settles KEDCO N1bn debt

    Zamfara Govt. settles KEDCO N1bn debt

    The Zamfara State Government has settled a debt of N1 billion owed to the Kaduna Electric Distribution Company (KEDCO).

    The government also expanded the mandates of the newly established Zamfara Electrification Agency (ZEA) to include improving power supply to unserved and underserved communities in the state.

    The pioneer Executive Secretary of ZEA, Muzammil Idris disclosed this in an interview on Thursday.

    Idris said that Gov. Dauda Lawal’s administration has freed the state from the debt which always stood as obstacles to the expected rapid development of government activities for the betterment of the state economy.

    He noted that lack of energy in the state had affected the key sectors of development such as Health, Education, Security and Agriculture, adding that these sectors were considered as integral part of economic development in any society.

    According to him, a 10-year working plan and implementation strategy has already been drafted by the Agency.

    “The immediate plan on my table from the main draft is to ensure restoration of energy across the 14 local government areas of the state.

    ”I am to also ensure that places that have not been on the national grid were connected within three months.

    “I had a meeting with the Chairman Kaduna Electricity Governing Board, and we looked into taking possible measures to restore power supply across the state.

    ”That gave me an opportunity to constitute a committee for assessment and implementation of the said planned electrification project for the benefiting communities.

    “After the completion of the project, my agency will ensure implementation of the national metering policy, to help sanitise both the electrification services and the revenue generation by the KEDCO.’’

  • Kaduna govt moves to end KEDCO power crisis

    Kaduna govt moves to end KEDCO power crisis

    The Kaduna State Government on Thursday appealed to union leaders of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) to suspend the ongoing strike and resolve the dispute through dialogue.

    The workers of the Disco on Feb. 2, proceeded on an indefinite industrial action that plunged Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states, its franchise area, into darkness.

    The union leaders had expressed displeasure over the sacking of more than 450 workers of the company without settling their exit token and redundancy package.

    Mr Rilwan Shehu, Deputy President-General of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) told NAN via telephone that KEDCO’S condition of service provides for 30 percent of annual earnings as exit token.

    Shehu said redundancy allowances were negotiable but lamented that sack letters were suddenly forwarded to the affected workers without prior notice and unbelievable meagre packages.

    The deputy president-general said efforts to resolve the dispute amicably did not yield positive results, “hence, the union notified the company and later proceeded on industrial action.”

    However, Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, convened a crucial meeting on Thursday at Government House with KEDCO management and the union leaders to broker peace and restore electricity supply.

    Balarabe expressed concern over the adverse effects of the blackout on critical sectors such as healthcare and business operations.

    She appealed to the striking workers to resume work while discussions to resolve their grievances continue.

    Present at the meeting were top government officials, including the Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff, and Director of the Department of State Services (DSS).

    KEDCO’s Managing Director, Umar Abubakar Hashidu, led the company’s delegation, while Rilwan Shehu, Deputy President-General of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), represented the labour unions.

    Both parties acknowledged the state government’s timely intervention and committed to working together to end the crisis and restore power supply to the affected states.

  • Power restored at Aliko Dangote varsity

    Power restored at Aliko Dangote varsity

    The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), has reconnected power supply to  Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, after the payment of N100 million.

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Musa Yakasai, who confirmed the restoration of power supply in a telephone interview on Friday, said power  supply was  restored  to the institution at about 4 pm after the  payment of about N100 million.

    Recall that the University was  plunged into darkness following the sudden disconnection of power supply by KEDCO over  N248 million debt.

    The firm took the action  in spite of the payment of N20 million out of the N60 million monthly bill by the state-owned university.

    Yakasai attributed it to the prompt intervention of the Kano State Government and the Dangote foundation, which made an initial payment of N100 million  to KEDCO.

    The state government has committed to settling outstanding liabilities, while the Dangote foundation explored sustainable solutions like solar mini-grids.

    The university management expressed gratitude to all involved and urged the community to support judicious electricity usage.

  • KEDCO decries low supply of power from TCN

    KEDCO decries low supply of power from TCN

    The Kano Electricity Distribution Company has attributed the poor power supply being experienced in the state to  drop in megawatts received from the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

    The Managing Director of the company, Malam Abubakar Yusuf, said this at a news conference on Tuesday in Kano, describing the 180 megawatts as grossly inadequate.

    He said that the company has for the last three months been receiving 180 megawatts for distribution to its customers in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.

    “We felt it necessary to address you on the shortage of power supply being experienced in the states so that you can enlighten our customers on the current challenges.

    ”This is necessary because we are the last in the value chain because we can only distribute what we have. No businessman will deliberately deny his customers goods,” Yusuf said.

    According to him, the company requires 600 megawatts for adequate and effective supply to its customers in the three states.

    “We need 600 megawatts to adequately serve our customers in the three states, which are our franchise areas,” he said.

    Yusuf, therefore, called on customers in the three states to bear with the situation as the problem was not peculiar to Kano, but the country at large.

    The managing director of the Kano disco equally said thst the fire outbreak at Dan’agundi transmission station on Sunday had seriously affected the company’s operations.

    He said that one of the high-performance capacity transformer in the transmission station was burnt beyond repairs while the other one has to repaired.

    On revenue generation, the Managing Director said the company had been experiencing electricity theft which had affected its targeted revenue.

    He said that the company intends to solicit the support of religious leaders to sensitise customers to desist from electricity theft through illegal connections, meter bypass among other illegal acts.

    “We received N14 billion invoices monthly, but the collection is 25 per cent or N3.5 billion which is far below what we are expected to collect as revenue due to refusal of our customers to pay their electricity bills.

    ”So, we believe by the time our religious leaders preach in their sermons how Islam and Christianity forbid electricity theft, it will go a long way in checking the illegal acts.

  • Electricity workers shut down distribution company over pension remittance

    Electricity workers shut down distribution company over pension remittance

    Electricity workers on Monday shut down the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), over alleged failure to remit their pension deductions in the last 72 months.

    The workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), vowed to keep the company shut until the remittances were confirmed paid.

    Malam Ado Ririwai, the North-West Chairman of the union, told NAN that the workers would not allow such an unwholesome attitude to continue.

    Riruwai accused KEDCO of victimizing union leaders who were trying to speak on behalf of the workers.

    “This act is imperialist; it is the rights of workers to fight for what is theirs,” he said.

    The union leader also accused the company of refusing to provide basic medical care to the workers “in spite of the hazards associated with their jobs”.

    Efforts to get the reaction of the management proved abortive as all workers, including management staff, were forced out of the premises of the firm’s headquarters.

  • KEDCO losses N52bn revenue in 2019 – MD

    KEDCO losses N52bn revenue in 2019 – MD

    The Managing Director, Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Alhaji Jamilu Gwamna, says the company had lost energy supplied to it by regulators worth about N52 billion in 2019.

    Gwamna reveled this in Kano while unveiling the new Customer Strategy and Company award and Empowered Conference.

    He explained that KEDCO cannot meet its obligations with the serious problems facing them, adding that they did not find it easy in their revenue collection in 2019.

    The managing director noted that they have introduced several measures to curtail energy loss and lack of staff commitments to company growth as well as revenue collection.

    He added that such challenges led to the slow down of the company in meeting its obligations.

    “One of the strategies adopted include direct tariff monitoring, feeder supervision and also moves to ensure only revenue paying customers are provided with power to avoid lost and wastages,” he said.

    The KEDCO boss expressed concern over the billing system being used by the company as it has serious problems with the balance sheet.

    “That is why the company has adopted three new methods of enhanced operational capability, customer experience and serious revenue drives.

    “Although, I should commend you all the staff on the 2019 performance which was so far the best by collecting N3 billion revenue.

    “But you should know that we are not yet there, because we need a projected N4 billion monthly revenue,” he charged.

    He explained that the company’s efficiency is now hovering between 80 to 89 per cent, adding that they have now started at 56 per cent.

    “We should do all we could to improve on that, you can also see that our loss was 56 per cent, now beginning of this year we have seen the ratio falling to 36 per cent, this is a good news that should be sustained,” he encouraged the workers.

  • KEDCO promise better services in Jigawa, Kano, Katsina

    The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has promised its customers in Jigawa, Kano and Katsina states improved services to boost commercial activities in the areas.

    The company’s Managing Director, Dr Jamilu Gwamna, made the promise at the first KEDCO Managing Director’s Award Night in Kano.

    He said the company was committed to improve its operations to ensure effective service delivery and at the same time distribute the energy to the satisfaction of its numerous customers in the three states.

    “We are committed more than ever before to improve our operation to ensure effective and efficient service delivery to our customers across our coverage areas,” he said.

    He said the company found it necessary to honour its dedicated, committed and hardworking staff, to boost their morale.

    “It came as a board’s decision to recognise dedicated, hardworking and committed staff as part of effort to encourage them to do more,” Gwamna said.

    The managing director, who commended the staff of the company for their individual contributions to its development and success, noted that this was the first time the company collected over N2 billion in one month as revenue.

    “We are here today to appreciate you and those who invested in the company will continue to give you the necessary support to move the it to the next level,” he said.

    It is reported that the awards, which were in four categories, were presented to deserving staff from the three states.

    The high-point of the event includes drama and comedy performance as well as cultural dance by the popular Kano State Cultural Troupe, known as Yan’Koroso.