By Foster Obi
In a move to ensure customers have an enjoyable Yuletide, the management of Ikeja Electric (IE) has announced the expansion of network patrol teams and field operations preemptive maintenance across its network.
The move, which will see various installations undergo preemptive maintenance work, as well as increased number of patrol teams to ensure swift repair of faults was confirmed in a statement released by Head, Corporate Communications of IE, Felix Ofulue.
Ofulue said that the company was aware that its customers need stable supply of power to enjoy Christmas and New Year celebrations. According to him: “The company is not unaware of expectations of customers to enjoy regular and stable power supply during the yuletide, so, a lot of measures have been put in place to ensure that customers’ hopes are not dashed. We have started replacing faulty cables and equipment to ensure easy evacuation of power as received from the National Grid (NG)”.
“In addition, we our Fault Clearing Teams in all Business Units have been reinforced and enhanced to meet the demands which expectedly will increase this period because of the pressure that our facilities will be subjected to. We are mindful that during holidays, customers in festive mood will need more supply and this load on our aging infrastructure may cause some faults and trips. Our teams are ready to ensure they are rectified in the shortest possible time” he said.
Ofulue advised customers not to resort to using those road side electricians to clear fault in their areas, adding that such people usually compounded the problem on the network. Similarly, he informed that the metering program IE is still ongoing, urging patience from customers as the metering exercise was moving according to schedule, while indicating that some locations like Egbeda, Ifako, Oworonshoki, Ajao, Ojodu, Magodo and Abule Odu among others already enjoyed a metering density of over 50 percent.
However, he appealed to customers within its network to settle their monthly electricity bills promptly as this provided the company the much needed resources to expand and maintain its technical/metering initiative timetables. The IE official cautioned against harassment of its employees on duty, noting that IE had provided multiple channels and customer care touch points through which customers may seek redress. He confirmed that customer service had expanded its teams to over 200 well trained personnel dedicated to handling customer complaints, arguably the largest in the industry, who can be reached on 01-448-3900, 01-7000-250, 0700-022-5543.
In a related development, the recently released i-Safe App from Ikeja Electric has been received with applause by industry watchers, as the IE relentlessly expands on its safety initiatives. The app, which allows customers to send in images and video clips of hazards in the network was recently launched on Google Play Store and is available for free downloads. The i-Safe app launch which was quickly followed by the maiden graduation ceremony of IE’s Quality Health and Safety Academy is indicative of IE’s resolve to ensure mishaps are mitigated during the yuletide. On behalf of the management and staff of Ikeja Electric, Ofulue wished all customers a happy holiday.
