IBEDC Sacks Achife as Managing Director
The Board of Directors of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company has relieved Mr Kingsley Achife of his appointment as the company’s Managing Director. The board refused to renew Achife’s contract, naming Francis Agoha as the Acting Managing Director of the IBEDC effective from May 31. Achife’s sack was contained in an internal memo dated May 31, a copy of which was sighted by our correspondent. “Dear colleagues, the Board of Directors of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company wishes to inform the staff that it has decided not to renew the contract of the current Managing Director, Engineer Kingsley Achife. “The Board expresses its deepest gratitude to Engineer Kingsley Achife for his contributions to the company and for laying the foundation for the ongoing turnaround. “In light of this decision, the Board is pleased to announce the appointment of the most senior executive, Engineer Francis Agoha as the Acting Managing Director of IBEDC. Engineer Francis Agoha will assume leadership responsibilities with immediate effect and will work closely with the Board to ensure a smooth transition,” the memo read in part.
IBEDC Restores Power to UCH After 16-Day Blackout
University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, has finally regained electricity after enduring a 16-day blackout due to a disconnection by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). The disconnection was a result of an outstanding debt amounting to N495 million, accumulated over six years. The power restoration, which occurred around 6:30 pm on Thursday, came after the hospital management took steps to address the issue. Part of the debt, totaling N80 million, was paid, and an agreement was reached with IBEDC on a repayment plan for the remaining amount. During the blackout period, the hospital faced significant challenges, with workers resorting to rechargeable lamps to attend to patients. Many wards operated at minimal capacity, leading to patient discharges, while critical cases were still admitted, albeit with difficulties. In response to the outage, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) had previously announced limited working hours for staff, citing the lack of electricity as a major hindrance to their duties. However, with power now restored, normal operations are expected to resume fully.
IBEDC Decries N28bn Debt Owed By Ogun Customers
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has disclosed that customers in the Sango and Ota axis of Ogun state owed the company N28 billion. The Lead Media Relation, IBEDC, Mrs. Busolami Tunwase, stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Joju, Ota, Ogun state recently. Tunwase, who represented the Chief Executive Officer of IBEDC, Mr. Kingsley Achife, said the N28 billion electricity debt was owed by residential customers and not industries. “We are appealing to customers to urgently pay their bills for the company to survive and effectively carry out our business operations. The accumulation of debts is hampering the operations of the company because we have requests and obligations to fulfill.Not paying for electricity consumed is energy theft, which is punishable and attracts jail term,” she said. Tunwase said the new electricity bill signed into law by President Bola Tinubu gave room for punishment to anyone caught stealing electricity. She admonished customers to refrain from bypassing, illegally removing, or moving the meter to another location, damaging the meter to avoid paying the bill, illegal connections, among others. Tunwase noted that payments received provided the electricity value chain with the needed revenue to improve service. She advised them to desist from using substandard meters, which are prone to serious dangers to the people. Tunwase added that such erring customers with illegal meters should be reported to the appropriate channel as using illegal meters was an offence. She also warned customers against assaulting its officials in the course of discharging their duties to avoid the wrath of the law. A customer, Mr. Tunde Adeyemi, said there was a need for IBEDC to redouble its efforts to provide stable electricity for residents. Adeyemi lamented that the epileptic power supply in Sango and its environs was affecting the livelihoods of people negatively, adding that IBEDC also needed to address higher electricity bills to prevent shortchanging the public. Adeyemi also appealed to IBEDC to make pre-paid meters available to customers to enhance its operation.