Headline

BEDC Begins Network Clean Up To Boost Service Delivery

Published

3 years ago

September 25, 2021

Editor

The management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, Plc says it has began a major network ‘clean up exercise’ which entails mass disconnection of illegal consumers and those with other infractions that could hinder its smooth operation.

The management disclosed that the exercise was part of efforts at improving service delivery in line with the Service Reflective Tariff (SRT) regime in the electricity supply industry.

A statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, BEDC, Funke Osibodu, which was made available to INFO DAILY, said the electricity distribution company did not just go into disconnection of such customers but first embarked on “massive customer reach-out programme through direct communication with customers by field representatives, POS-Agents, Call Centre representatives aiming to provide to the customer’s individual debt rescheduling solutions based on the Debt Rescheduling Scheme.”

The statement disclosed that the network cleanup, which started recently with a mass disconnection in Government Reservation Area (GRA) and Boundary Road in Benin City, Edo State, saw the company’s team comprising; business unit and service centre officers in these locations combing the network for illegalities.

The statement added that the exercise afforded BEDC staff opportunity to also interact with customers to identify the problems being experienced as a feedback for service improvement, with a view to resolving such complaints/issues to enable legitimate customers continue to enjoy improved service.

The statement disclosed that the exercise also afforded BEDC staff opportunity to go to customer houses, business premises to check installed meters especially Prepaid (PPM) ones, for possible bypass and/or huge debts, saying that such debts was hindering the company from optimising its service delivery.

While noting that during the clean up process customers were directed to channel their complaints to the company’s customer care unit with a view to resolving such complaints/issues quickly, its added that indebted customers were also encouraged to partake in the newly introduced Debt Rescheduling Scheme.

“Debt Rescheduling Scheme has been developed as palliative for customers who owe electricity bills and are unable to instantaneously pay such debts given various challenges which has reduced their ability to pay.

“The scheme provides the opportunity or possibility to restructure the terms and conditions for them to be able to settle their outstanding consumption bills on longer payment period of up to 60 months.

“We used the exercise to send a clear message to non-responsive customers that BEDC will not allow infractions to continue within in the network.

“The interaction was friendly and business-oriented. We assisted some of them resolve their issues, while several disconnections took place of others who were hugely indebted or illegally connected.

“The whole essence was to enable customers know that BEDC services in terms of energy distribution is sustainable if they pay their bills promptly,” the statement reads.

The statement further added that customers willing to settle debts signed debt rescheduling agreements during the exercise, while those with meter infractions and other illegalities were issued disconnection notices.

It reads further: “We encourage our esteemed customers to visit company’s service centres, or reach out through official communication channels, including our website, as well as partner POS Agent Channels to get a detailed insight of debt rescheduling scheme and take advantages of offered debt recovery solutions.

“In all, we appreciate what the exercise was able to achieve and we are glad that the Edo experience brought us closer to customers and also showed that we are working hard to improve customer experience by checking those infractions that could hinder our performance in the quest for improved power supply.”

The statement disclosed that the cleans up exercise will also be extended to other BEDC franchise areas in Ondo, Ekiti and Delta states, “as a measure towards enhancing the company’s performance whilst responding better to customers complaints in spite of the present period of economic difficulty.”

Headline

Teenager Jailed For Life For Murder Of 16-year-old Boy At House Party

Published

9 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Editor

A teenager who stabbed Mikey Roynon, 16, to death with a “zombie knife” has been jailed for life.

Shane Cunningham, 16, fatally stabbed Mikey Roynon in the neck with a large hunting-style knife during a 16th birthday house party in Bath, Somerset in June 2023.

Mr Justice Saini sentenced him to life in jail with a minimum sentence of 16 years before he could be released for parole after he was convicted of murder.

Teenager jailed for life for murder of boy, 16, at house party
Shane Cunningham

His co-accused – Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight, both 16 – were convicted of manslaughter after being acquitted of the more serious charge.

A judge sentenced Bushnell to nine years of youth detention, while Knight was given nine-and-a-half years’ youth detention.

The judge ruled that all three could be identified despite their age after an application by the PA news agency.

Cunningham had claimed he was acting in self-defence, claiming during the trial that Mikey had swung a knife towards friends in the garden of the property. But the jury saw through his story following a trial at Bristol crown court.

Mikey collapsed on the driveway with heavy bleeding from a single knife wound to his neck.

Police, paramedics and doctors soon arrived at the scene in Weston, a north-west suburb of Bath, but Mikey died.

The defendants ran off and threw away their weapons, two of which were recovered by police.

Detective Inspector Mark Newbury said: “That three boys armed themselves with knives to go to a teenage girl’s 16th birthday party is utterly unconscionable.

“Mikey went to that party to socialise and to have a good time. Instead, he was attacked with a horrifying weapon, suffered a catastrophic injury and tragically lost his life.

“Mikey was a much loved teenage boy and his family have been left totally devastated.

“They have shown incredible bravery and have courageously spoken out against knife crime since his death, which is something they should never have to do.

“Since Mikey’s death, other young lives have been lost across our policing area and as a result we have launched a proactive operation to tackle and disrupt serious violence and knife crime involving young people.

“However, we know police enforcement alone won’t solve the problem and we’re working closely with our local authority partners, our colleagues in education and health and the Violence Reduction Partnership to identify the root causes and divert young people away from criminality.

“Our communities are also key and we’d like to encourage parents to talk to their children about knife crime – to make sure that they understand the terrible consequences carrying a knife can have and also how to report if they have concerns about someone they know carrying a knife.”

Headline

Shock As Woman Who Visited Hospital For Scan Was Told She’s Dead

Published

10 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

A woman was left shocked when she turned up to a hospital scan only to be told by staff that her records showed that she was already ‘’dead.”

Susan Johnson from Scarborough was left ‘shaking by a leaf’ after staff at the Bridlington Hospital in Yorkshire told her their records showed she’d been dead for four months.

The incident left Susan, 62, a retired housekeeper, baffled that her husband Bob needed to bring her a strong coffee to help calm her nerves.

The mother-of-two told BBC News: ‘I gave them my letter and their first words were, “ooh you’re dead”.

‘I said, “pardon?”. I was in shock.

‘Then they put something on the computer so I could have the scan and then they just said, “bye” and that’s it.’

It is unclear how the mistake happened as when Susan contacted her GP, they told her that the mistake had been fixed.

However, when she contacted the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the call handler told her she was still marked as already dead on the system.

‘On the computer you’re dead,’ she was told. Susan then informed her she couldn’t be dead as she was on the phone and talking.

The error meant that Susan’s carer’s allowance for looking after her disabled husband Bob briefly stopped, though this has now been fixed.

She said she shut down completely after the news and said there was nobody to talk to about the mistake.

Scarborough Medical Group told the BBC they’d received an electronic instruction about the ‘death’ from Primary Care Support England (PCSE).

Susan is concentrating on her hobbies of gardening and knitting as she recovers from the shock.

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an issue involving a civil death registration being incorrectly recorded against a patient’s medical record.

‘This was removed within 24 hours of it being reported to us in March 2023 and the patient was re-registered by their GP.

‘We would encourage the patient to contact us directly so we can explain further.’

Headline

PHOTOS: Sandhurst Trained: UK High Commissioner Hosts First Nigerian Female To Graduate From Premier British Military Institution

Published

15 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has congratulated Princess Owowoh on making history at the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

Taking to X.com on Thursday, Montgomery expressed his pleasure in meeting Owowoh, who was accompanied by an officer from the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Sharing photos, he wrote, “I was pleased to meet 2nd Lt. Princess Owowoh, the first Nigerian female officer cadet to graduate from the UK’s

#RMASandhurst, accompanied by Lt. Col Nyiam from the #NDefenceAcademy to congratulate her on making history, hear about her experience, and reflect on our Nigeria-British relationship.”

Owowoh graduated from the RMAS as the first-ever Nigerian female officer on April 12.

She joined the NDA in Kaduna in 2018, where she was appointed as a cadet lance corporal in her second year.

She rose to a cadet sergeant in her fourth year and was appointed company senior under Officer Charlie (CSUO C) in her fifth year.

Owowoh held the appointment with two other female counterparts and made history by becoming the first female to hold the position of CSUO at the academy.

During her fourth year, she completed the academic component of the commissioning course, achieving first-class honours in biological sciences.

See the photos below: