Prioritise service, not revenue, Sokoto demands better electricity supply from KAEDCO

The Sokoto State Government has urged the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company to enhance their service delivery before requesting additional payments from customers.

The State Commissioner for Energy and Petroleum Resources, Sanusi Ibrahim, made this call on Thursday during a Customer Complaints Resolution Meeting held at the Sokoto Guest Inn.

In his remarks, the commissioner expressed deep concern over the poor electricity supply in the state, emphasizing that residents should not be paying for darkness instead of light.

“While I commend you for organizing this meeting, I must remind you that you can only demand more money from the people when your services improve,” he stated.

Ibrahim criticised both NERC and KAEDCO, accusing them of prioritizing revenue collection over service improvement.

“All I have heard since I arrived here is talk about making more money and distributing more meters, but nothing about improving service delivery for the people,” he lamented.

He specifically highlighted the Eastern Senatorial District, where some local government areas have suffered nine years of total power outage without significant intervention from KAEDCO

The state government recently spent about ₦1.5 billion to replace vandalized equipment such as transformers, poles, and wires in that zone. Yet, once the repairs are completed, KAEDCO immediately begins charging customers, despite having done little to restore power,” he added.

He urged KAEDCO to hold more public engagement sessions to educate consumers on their rights and the importance of paying their electricity bills.

Speaking on behalf of KAEDCO, the Managing Director’s representative, Ahmed Sanusi, assured residents that the company is working tirelessly to improve electricity supply in the state.

Sanusi attributed the recent decline in power supply to fire incidents and vandalism, which affected transmission cables from Kebbi State.

“We understand the concerns of our customers. Our team is working around the clock to restore stable electricity and ensure residents get value for their money,” he said.

Despite these assurances, residents remain skeptical, urging KAEDCO to match its words with concrete action.