After prolonged controversy over estimated billing and faulty meters by customers, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) says the company is resuming the installation of free prepaid meters to its customers.

The installation exercise under Tranche B of the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) and Phase 1 of the Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP), which are two initiatives aimed at closing the metering gap commences in the days ahead.

A statement Issued and signed by the Company’s Coordinating Head, Corporate Services, Angela Olanrewaju, said a total of 33,450 smart meters will be deployed under the MAF Tranche B, while 22,104 meters will be deployed under Phase 1 of the DISREP.

The meter rollout under MAF prioritizes unmetered customers on Band A feeders, while DISREP will prioritize both Bands A and B.

IBEDC reaffirmed that both the meters and the installation process are entirely free, warning customers not to pay any money to an installer or IBEDC staff.

She added that “The meters are completely free, and installation is also free. Customers must not make any form of payment to anyone. Anyone requesting money should be reported via maf_disrep@ibedc.com or ethicscompliance@ibedc.com.”

The company explained that the MAF initiative is funded by IBEDC through a market-supported mechanism established by NERC to enable DisCos to close the metering gap across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

“The scheme complements the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) and is designed to accelerate nationwide metering. It will run concurrently with the MAP scheme, but unlike MAP, MAF meters come at no cost to customers.”

IBEDC also urged customers to grant installers access to their premises upon presenting a valid ID during the exercise as access denial may result in disconnection of such premises.

Olanrewaju further cautioned against tampering with or bypassing the new meters, stating that such acts constitute energy theft and attract serious penalties.

Customers with outstanding arrears are encouraged to visit the nearest IBEDC office for resolution (to settle such arrears to aid seamless migration to prepayment mode).

It, however, stated that arrears will not disqualify anyone from receiving a free meter under this scheme.

The release stated further that “No customer will be denied a meter on account of outstanding bills. Arrears will be managed in line with Company’s debt settlement policy and established procedures,” the statement concluded. (Channels TV)