The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), on Tuesday, inaugurated 100 Change Ambassadors within its workforce to drive the company’s Transformational Culture Change Initiative.

The Change Ambassadors, who have undergone week-long training on human relations and integrity, were selected from 18 district areas of the company in the five South-East states.

Inaugurating the Change Ambassadors in Enugu, Dr Steve Dike, a member of EEDC Board of Directors, said that after a survey in the company it was clear that there was a great need to change attitudes and culture of work.

Dike, who congratulated the Change Ambassadors for being chosen to lead the transformational initiative, charged them to live above board and ensure that negative deeds that question the integrity of the company are stopped.

“The Change Ambassadors, who I will refer to as your excellences in this company, now carry the corporate image of the company personified with them and must lead by example and correct others.

“You people have the full support of the Board as you carry out your monitoring and correction especially with focus on treating our esteemed customers as king with due courtesy they supposed to get from us,” he said.

The Change Ambassadors, according to Dike, “have the power to warn and correct any erring staff as well as sending those that dress like touts back home as many times they are not properly dressed.”

“There must be discipline, courtesy and integrity in our business especially as it relates to our esteemed customers,” he added.

The Managing Director of EEDC, Mr Okey Nwosu, said that the journey to have a change of orientation in attitude in the company started in January this year when the Board deployed consultants to look into how to improve service delivery to its customers.

“With extensive interview with staff and customers, they came out with the fact that most of the problem the company face with its esteemed customers was that of negative attitude to work on the part of our staff.

“So, we have a mandate from the Board to change our attitude and ensure we uphold integrity in all we do; which will make the customers empathy with any challenge we might be going through as a company.

“From today, we must communicate to our customers that we are a rebranded and changed both in words and deeds,” he said.

Mr Emeka Ezeh, Head, Communications of EEDC and one of the Change Ambassadors, assured the management and Board that the ambassadors would live up to expectation.

“We are committed to ensure that Transformational Culture Change initiative trickles down to our district and area offices scattered in the entire South-East,” Ezeh said.

Among the Change Ambassadors are district and area managers, some field staff with exemplary conduct, human resources staff and some heads of units and departments.

The highlights of the event included launch of EEDC Culture Handbook and the unveiling of the Core Value of EEDC, which are Integrity, Customers Focus and Professionalism.