Ikeja Electric calls for re-instating CAPMI scheme

Vanguard reports that due to difficulties faced in the acquisition of pre-paid meters, Ikeja Electric wants the credited advance payment for metering implementation, CAPMI, scheme to be brought back to discourage estimated bills.

According to Vanguard, the Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Electric, Anthony Youdeowei, speaking when the House of Representatives Committee on Power visited the company’s Head Office at Ikeja, implored the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola to revisit the cancelled scheme, so as to enable the DISCOs fufil their obligations of metering Nigerians.

“We have dedicated over 8000 meters to CAPMI, which would go a long way to addressing metering deficiencies in our business network before it was cancelled by the Minister,” he said.

He added that efforts are been put in place to ensure that all issues surrounding complaints from customers are adequately resolved and addressed. Also speaking, the Chairman House Committee on Power, Daniel Asuquo, urged electricity consumers to see  electricity services as a business entity that operates on a give and take situation.

“We would ensure that the regulatory arm of the power sector does its due diligence to put in balance modalities that will work for both the regulators and the operators. But customers should understand that they must pay for what is used.

“However, the complaints of foreign exchange, FOREX, is not hidden to us as the Federal Government is putting in place a guideline for NERC, and by next year the challenges would be minimal as by first quarter 2017, the inability of the DISCOs to have foreign exchange to purchase meters for supply to their customers, would be a thing of the past”

He also, urged the Discos to patronize local manufacturers as some manufacturing companies have good products, while calling on investors to consider investing in metering production in the country.

Source: Vanguard