The Jos Electricity Distribution Company has assured residents of Gombe State of improved service delivery, faster repairs of faulty transformers, and the rollout of prepaid meters beginning September 2025.
The State Operating Officer of JEDC, Rilwan Shehu, made this promise during a Customer Consultative Forum held in Gombe on Saturday. “We are here because we feel our customers are important,” Shehu said. “This forum is an avenue where we meet our customers face to face to listen to their complaints and see how fast we can identify those challenges and resolve them.”
He expressed satisfaction with the turnout, noting that residents turned out in large numbers to engage the company. On recurring complaints about faulty transformers, Shehu stressed that repairs were strictly the responsibility of JEDC but urged customers to fulfill their part by paying bills on time.
“Of course, the issue of repairing transformers is solidly on the shoulders of our company. But customers must have it at the back of their mind that their sole responsibility is to pay their bills as soon as due. Once they pay, we’ll be encouraged to do whatever repairs they are expecting from us in a timely manner.”
Shehu disclosed that the company will commence metering customers on Band A—those who enjoy up to 24-hour electricity supply—before extending to other categories. “We’re the first in the country stepping into this,” he said. “By September, we’ll begin metering customers, starting with Band A. That doesn’t mean we won’t meter others, but we’re starting there.”
The JEDC official also lamented vandalism of power installations, describing it as a major hindrance to a stable electricity supply. “You wake up during the rainy season and realise cables of transformers have been cut away. We have bad eggs everywhere. But we are working closely with security operatives. As I speak, about 11 suspects have been apprehended through the efforts of civil defence, DSS, and the police,” Shehu added.
Shehu commended Gombe residents for improved bill payments, noting that it had translated into better service delivery. “You will agree with me that there are some levels of improvement in Gombe,” he said. “That is as a result of bill payment. As they improve their payments, the sky will be our starting point.”
He stressed that JEDC’s success depended on customer cooperation. “Without the customers, we cannot remain in business. And without us, they need us for service delivery. It’s a partnership, and we are determined to make it work,” he added.
JEDC’s Meter Asset Provider Desk Officer, Anas Sadiq, said the company had already begun installations in Plateau State. “By the end of next month, we will deploy meters to Gombe. We want to close the metering gaps in Band A before proceeding to other bands,” he said.
Some customers at the forum, however, used the opportunity to raise personal complaints. One of them, Dr Okezie Ejeagba, lamented that his faulty meter issue had lingered for more than two years without resolution.
“I’m not satisfied until I see my units,” he said. “Because I’ve been here before, I’ve been at this level before, where they told me it was going to be solved. It was never solved. So I’m not satisfied until I get my units back.”
