The management of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has faulted claims by the Ndi-Igbo United Forum (NUF), saying that its recent press release does not reflect the true position of what transpired during their meeting.

In a statement signed by its Head of Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, the company said it requested for the meeting to discuss the grievances expressed by NUF in their letter to the Disco dated January 6, 2020.

According to Ezeh, EEDC at the meeting addressed all the issues raised in the letter and explained the rationale for decommissioning the meters that are no longer compatible with EEDC network.

He said: “We also informed them of steps taken by the company to make the migration exercise seamless, which was widely publicized in national newspapers and other media.

“As stated in our various communication, the exercise was necessitated by the integrated system upgrade embarked on by EEDC, and the increasing difficulty in providing support for the card reader system used in vending these meters.”

The statement explained that EEDC could no longer provide support for the vending system that allows customers using the standalone meters to recharge their meters.

“Our apex regulatory body, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has licensed Meter Asset Providers (MAP) to deploy meters to customers. EEDC has been actively engaged in promoting and facilitating this metering scheme designed and approved by NERC, which allow customers procure meters from the third-party meter providers at a cost.

“MAP scheme is a laudable initiative of NERC and FGN which has made it easier for electricity consumers nationwide to procure meters faster than it was obtained before.

“To further underscore our commitment to a smooth transition, EEDC has undertaken to provide meters for this category of customers with option of payment in 24 monthly installments,” EEDC said.

It further explained that contrary to the claim in NUF’s press release, the meter swap exercise is for only customers in areas where the meters were deployed in the first place.

“Within our network, out of the five states covered by EEDC, these meters were not installed in Abia and Ebonyi States and consequently no customer in these two states are affected. For Enugu State, about 12,000 customers in Awkunanaw are affected while a similar number are affected in Ogui and Abakpa areas in total. In Imo State, less than 2,000 customers in mainly Owerri metropolis are affected, while those affected in Anambra State are about 14,000 customers in parts of Nnewi, Awka and Onitsha,” EEDC said.

It disclosed that less than 40,000 customers are affected, while EEDC has in recent times metered over 250,000 customers within the last three years.

“We advise our customers to disregard the information contained in the said publication. Affected customers should continue to avail themselves of the opportunities presented by the process put in place by EEDC to ensure a seamless meter swap exercise,” the statement said.