The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) says it has installed meters for 60,000 customers in ongoing phase zero of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).
It said that the installations were free-of-charge to all customers living within South-East.
The Head, Corporate Communications of EEDC, Mr Emeka Eze, said in Enugu on Wednesday that the NMMP meter installations were ongoing smoothly without any hitch.
Eze spoke in reaction to an alleged online media publication purporting the collection of N20,000 as registration fee for obtaining pre-paid meters in the ongoing NMMP programme.
He noted that the company was aggressively installing the free meters to bridge the wide-gap in metering within its franchise area covering the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
“We are currently in the `Phase O’ of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) which provides us with 92,300 meters, and close to 60,000 customers are already metered under this programme.
“Effort is on to wrap up the metering so we move on to the ‘Phase 1’ of the programme.
“For the records, EEDC still maintains that the NMMP meter is free.
“Any customer that claims he/she made payment for meter to EEDC should provide the evidence of payment.
“This includes the account the money was paid into and the receipt of payment (there is no payment to EEDC that is not receipted).
“As a matter of responsibility, we have deployed several communications (billboard, sensitisation programmes, social media posts/engagements, as well as main media engagements and press releases etc.) to underscore that meter and its installation are at no cost to our customers.
“And that any attempt to extort customers should be reported to EEDC through established Whistle Blower platforms.
“But customers are reluctant to use these established platforms,” he said.
The EEDC spokesman noted that even in situations where investigations are carried out following a lead, you see the customers being reluctant in giving you information that would help in fishing out these perpetrators.
“Most times, these customers purportedly alleging extortion will suddenly deny that they did not pay for their meters,’’ he said.
Eze advised that it would have been good for journalists to properly reference customers who had complaints or claim to have paid EEDC for meters and the account such money was paid into.
Recall that the NMMP Programme is an initiative of the Federal Government, designed to ensure speedy deployment of meters to electricity customers, as a deliberate move to close the identified metering gap in the country.
The NMMP, which is a mass metering programme, was launched on Jan. 21, by EEDC.