The Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) Plc has raised concerns over the rising incidence of electricity theft in Plateau State, revealing that about 45 per cent of the electricity supplied to the state is lost to illegal connections and other forms of energy theft.
The Plateau State Chief Operating Officer of JED, Engr. Hamisu Wakili Jigawa, disclosed this during the company’s quarterly customer consultative forum held in Jos on Thursday.
He explained that the forum, organised in line with regulatory requirements, provides customers with a platform to engage directly with the company, present unresolved complaints and receive prompt resolutions from its technical, commercial and customer service teams.
According to Jigawa, the initiative also reinforces JED’s commitment to improving customer relations and enhancing service delivery across its franchise areas.
Describing electricity theft as one of the company’s biggest challenges, he warned that the high level of energy losses threatens efforts to improve power supply across Plateau State.
Despite the challenge, Jigawa said about 70 per cent of customers in Jos currently enjoy more than 20 hours of electricity daily. He added that the company plans to upgrade more feeders to Band A, enabling additional communities to benefit from improved power supply.
“We are committed to improving electricity supply. As long as customers continue to pay their bills, we will keep investing in network upgrades so that more communities can enjoy over 20 hours of electricity every day,” he said.
Also speaking at the forum, JED’s Chief Commercial Officer, Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim, announced that the company will distribute 109,000 free electricity meters to customers across Plateau, Bauchi, Benue and Gombe states under the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP).
He clarified that the meters would be shared across the company’s four franchise states and not allocated to Plateau State alone.
According to Ibrahim, JED has already distributed more than 20,000 free meters under another Federal Government-backed metering initiative. He noted that customers can also obtain meters through the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme, under which the initial cost is refunded through energy credits approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Unlike the MAP scheme, Ibrahim explained, meters distributed under DISREP and other government-backed initiatives are provided completely free of charge.
Addressing complaints about outstanding debts appearing on newly installed prepaid meters, he explained that unpaid balances from the previous post-paid billing system are automatically transferred to the new meters.
He added that JED has introduced flexible repayment plans, allowing customers to clear outstanding debts through electricity vending. Customers owing less than ₦1 million can make monthly repayments from as little as ₦2,000, while those with larger debts are placed on structured repayment plans.
Ibrahim said the customer consultative forum was designed to strengthen communication between the company and consumers while providing a platform for feedback aimed at improving electricity service delivery.
