IBEDC Blames Cheap Tariff For Irregular Power Supply

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) says cheap tariff being charged in Nigeria is one of the major reasons for irregular power supply.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company John Donnachie said this on Monday in Abeokuta during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Power Africa.

“The more complicated we are making the power sector, the more problems we get. We need to solve the foundation of the power sector first. The foundation is not correct and we keep on building on it and the more you build on wrong foundation, the building would collapse,” he said.

“My opinion is that we need to go back and reset our original agreements of what the tariffs are, the rules and what we need to do and how we are going to finance the business, because everything is about money. Until those foundations are done, we are going to go backwards and not forward.

“I am not saying the policies and progress government is trying to put in place are wrong, but I am saying the foundation is wrong.”

He added that, “If our collection increases, we would be able to fulfill our responsibilities to our customers. Everything is about money. To buy meters we need money, to maintain the system we need money also.

“Tariff is below the cost and so we need to work with government to ensure things go the right way. I believe everybody should have power, but the more you do that the cheaper it gets.”

“If you don’t pay and you are illegally connected, you deprive the future development and that is the problem. However, if everybody pays the little bit, we would have more to invest to the business and that is the key.”