The Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) has assured electricity consumers that their personal information will be protected under its new digital platforms, while pledging to progressively eliminate estimated billing across its franchise area.

At the launch of the AEDC MyPower Mobile and Web applications in Abuja yesterday, the Chief Executive Officer of AEDC, Chijioke Okwuokenye, FNSE, said the platforms were designed to give consumers greater control over their electricity services and improve transparency in the relationship between the DisCo and its customers.

Okwuokenye said the initiative was part of a broader digitisation of AEDC’s operations aimed at improving customer satisfaction, rather than being driven primarily by cost reduction.

According to him, the platforms would allow customers to buy electricity tokens, pay bills, report outages and other service issues, lodge and track complaints, access bills and payment receipts, monitor energy consumption and manage multiple accounts and meters.

He said the digital platforms would also provide customers with information that could help them understand whether power interruptions were linked to their feeders, transformers or other parts of the distribution network.

He explained that the initiative was intended to address one of AEDC’s longstanding challenges: understanding customers’ needs and using that information to develop appropriate solutions.

The AEDC chief said digitisation would also improve accountability within the company by enabling management to monitor customer complaints and fault responses from end to end.

On the potential cost benefits, Okwuokenye said AEDC had not launched the platforms as a cost-cutting initiative, although digitisation would eventually reduce some operational expenses, including the cost of printing physical bills.

He added that improved customer information and transparency could also reduce resistance to payment, increase revenue and improve customer satisfaction.

He disclosed that the company had integrated complaints received through different channels, including the platform previously introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), into its customer relationship management system.

He said this would enable AEDC to monitor complaints more effectively and improve accountability in resolving customers’ concerns.

On data protection, Okwuokenye assured customers that security considerations were incorporated into the design of the platforms.
He said customers would be required to undergo verification before accessing their accounts, while a KYC process would ensure that users could only access their own personal and account information.

Okwuokenye said the platform provided an avenue for customers to report suspected cases, with AEDC assuring users that their identities would be protected.

On estimated billing, Okwuokenye said AEDC was deliberately placing greater emphasis on metering as part of its drive to eliminate estimated bills.

He said customers without meters could still access the platform using their account numbers, while AEDC would continue to pursue programmes aimed at closing the metering gap.