According to Olanipekun Adeyanju, AGM, Public Affairs, IKEDC, the exercise which held from January 2 – 3 2014, was part of the company’s consumer engagement activities aimed at giving back to the society whilst educating the public on its role in ensuring the nation achieves affordable, efficient and sustainable power supply in the nearest future.
Residents of Ikorodu enjoyed free access to eye screening, minor eye treatments, distribution of eye- glasses and eye drugs, cataract surgeries and eye health education-to raise public awareness on the need for regular eye checks.
Prior to the “Sight for All” exercise, IKEDC had also collaborated with Agboyi-Ketu Ward Health Committee Alliance (WHCA) in Agboyi-Ketu local Council Development Area (LCDA) on 23rd December, 2013 to offer free medical care to residents.
The exercise included free high blood pressure checks, HIV counseling, diabetes check, drug prescription and free treatments. The forum provided a platform to educate residents on the need for regular health checks and hazards of self-medication.
The high point of both exercises was the open discussion on the state of power in the nation.
Contrary to expectations that the handover of power assets to new investors would result in immediate solutions, IKEDC explained to its customers that the transfer had only begun a process that would culminate in enhanced power supply in the nearest future.
The scheme, according to Adeyanju, apart from being an opportunity to give back to the society, was designed to provide a platform for IKEDC to interact closely with the public to create better understanding of its activities as well as the rights and the responsibilities of electricity consumers.
IKEDC appealed for the patience and understanding of electricity customers as it moves to redefine service in the sector through continuous global affiliations, investment in new technology and human capital development.
IKEDC has the Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), a globally renowned power company as technical partners. KEPCO, the largest electricity utility company in Asia in terms of transmission and distribution, has six generation subsidiaries with 84,000MW capacity, several subsidiary companies and a global efficiency record of a maximum downtime period of slightly above three minutes annually.
The company provided answers to critical questions from residents on inadequate power supply, metering, estimated billing, and vandalism of power equipment, among others. Flyers containing contacts of its principal officers and answers to Frequently Asked Questions were distributed to enhance the process of understanding IKEDC and providing a feedback platform.
Adeyanju assured that there would be more CSR initiatives and consumer education exercises in other areas of Lagos to establish a partnership with the public in the quest for a new dawn of uninterrupted power supply in Nigeria.