The Benin Electricity Distribution Company’s revenue collection has moved up from N5.5billion to N6.8 billion in less than 100 days of assumption of its acting boss,Dr.Henry Ajagbawa.
Besides,the company’s Aggregate Total Commercial and Collection (ATC& C) losses dropped from 55% to 44% within the period,which may not be unconnected with the its new policy of zero tolerance for corrupt practices.
Ajagbawa spoke at a press conference in Benin on Thursday
“This reduction reflects the collection growth from an all-high achievement in the history of the company up to September at N5.5Billion to N6.8billion in less than 100 days to November 2022. It is the belief of the board and management that the customer which we place total premium on will soon begin to reap the benefits of the sustained strategy we have enacted”, he said.
The new Acting Managing Director revealed that pursuant to the company’s new policy, two members of staff, Ibrahim Salisu, and Olubolaji Damilola were currently on the run after they were found guilty of committing an infraction and the matter reported to the police.
He said that the case, which was a criminal one, was handed over to the police for further investigation after the disciplinary committee of the company found the duo guilty of contravening the company’s policy.
He added that 10 staff of the company had been dismissed for engaging in illegal activities, just as he disclosed that BEDC has commenced performance driven environment where staff are rewarded based on performance.
Ajagbawa emphasized that the company no longer had tolerance for corrupt practices, noting that the company had instituted 109 policies to guide the staff on the steps to take to get the job done.
“I must tell you that the new management will not tolerate any sharp practices from staff. Two are currently on the run because their criminal activities were reported to the police. The case is still being investigated by the police and they will be arrested to help the police in their investigation.The management has instituted 109 policies that will guide the staff on how to do their job optimally as well as what is expected of them at every point in time,” he added.
The company is prioritizing the need of customers and would ensure that they get power when available, he saidjust as he urged the customers to pay promptly in order to serve them better. He however revealed that infrastructural decay was a major problem in the sector.
He said:“One of the inhibitors to performance in the organisation was the level of infrastructural decay and lack of work tools. This resulted in suboptimal performance across the company over the years. The board and management quickly took steps to commence the corrective process as a panacea to elicit and encourage performance.
“A fleet of over 130 vehicles were abandoned in a state of disrepair and disuse. The new management has since revamped over 80 vehicles to service the operations of the company.Network optimization in one is the critical pillar to migrate to an era of customer-centrism. The new management has embarked on feeder realignment, not only to match regulatory imperative but as a fulcrum of providing the excellent services, we promised our customers.
“The company will also ensure that the customers get good services but I will urge them to also pay their bills so that we can serve them better.The heightened level of customer dissatisfaction has been masked for so long but now has to be confronted head-on. We exist because of the customer and are not deluded that customers do not have choices. In this regard, we noted the high level of service disconnection of many areas of our franchise from the grid for many years.