One on one with Engr. Luis S. Doble, Jr.

Crisis Management Desk

Rebranding YEDC

Dear Reader, On behalf of the editorial team I welcome you to the second edition of the company newsletter!

It is a first of sorts as this is the first edition since the newsletter was aptly christened “Kilowatt” after the primary unit of measurement of electricity, the basis our service as an electricity distribution company. Kilowatt is dedicated to the dissemination of information on news, events and people of YEDC.

Kilowatt will be published quarterly; it is OUR newsletter – we will like to hear from you through feedback and/or contributions. We particularly welcome relevant contributions that take a multidisciplinary / convergent approach.

We hope you will find Kilowatt informative.

Thank you.

Kingsley Onyekachi NkemnemeEditor-in-Chief,

Kilowatt

Welcome!

Editorial Team

Kingsley Nkemneme Editor-in-Chief

Ayodele Joseph Associate Editor

Olukayode Alale Editor

Bulus Abegye Member

Tajudeen Alawiye Member

Emeka Osigwe Member

Aliyu H. Ardo Secretary

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here are new realities emerging Ta f t e r t h e u n b u n d l i n g a n d subsequent privatisation of the power i n d u s t r y, r e q u i r i n g e l e c t r i c i t y distribution companies (DIScos) to re-evaluate their business, marketing and branding strategies to adapt to industry standards that will provide better service to customers.

In addition to profit making, the goal of most companies is to build a brand which the customers as well as stakeholders will embrace, benefit from and identify with. What actually separates one brand from another is having a defining purpose that relates to the customer desire and not just making promises.

Purpose driven rebranding is essential to the survival and indeed success of YEDC in this new environment. A business or organization whose employees can rightly answer the questions: “Why are we here?” and “where are we headed?” will make stronger connections with customers in search of solutions to the must needed electricity services as is the strategic priority of the Company.

Though the electricity industry is already an established brand, the purpose of rebranding is to combat negative perceptions and move the brand up-market by communicating a new, positive message through action and culture change.

A successful re-branding project is essential in re-positioning organization towards better service delivery. Brand ownership is at the heart of value, along with specialty on know-how, because of its relevance to stakeholders and the development of the society.Due to the tremendous impact of re-branding, a methodical implementation process has been introduced and if followed YEDC will reap the fruit of the process, which involves greater visibility and impact of the company in our area of operation and creating trust

and loyalty in our esteemed customers who will have confidence in our services.YEDC has embarked on a methodical branding process the implementation of which is yielding the following benefits:

1. Culture shift – A new corporate culture which will align employees with the strategic direction of the organisation and boost corporate performance through its focus on improved professionalism and instilling commercial mind-set in employees.

2. Improved focus —Management and staff will clearly understand what the Company stands for and where its priorities lie. Everyone in the organization working in alignment towards clearly understood goals is expected to result in improved productivity.

3. Competitive advantage — becomes more relevant to its community and stakeholders by leading as the most respected and reliable Disco in Nigeria.

4. Confidence — Employees feel more confident in their company's future prospects. They feel secure and know how to communicate better to our customers the YEDC core values which are Safety, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, Innovation and Team work.

Rebranding if carried out in a thorough and thoughtful way, can play out in many wonderful ways over the long term, as well improved awareness, repositioning of the company, increased revenue and promote customer satisfaction. As a company engaged in the distribution of electricity, YEDC considers rebranding, as a way to reap off tremendous benefits to all stakeholders. It is against this backdrop that the on-going rebranding is considered a step in the right direction for effective employee reorientation and better service delivery.

The visible changes of rebranding will reveal a new positive identity to our customers as the new corporate strategy: “customer service” unfolds. It is time for change.

Kilowatt Editorial

Re- branding YEDC

The Editorial Team

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trategy is what we engage in Sconsciously or unconsciously, we all have visions ideas and goals in life which we seek to accomplish, we plan carefully to make our plans succeed, so by implication we are all strategists.Strategy is defined as what we need to do to get a desired result or goal. Arriving at this goal is usually a well thought out process that seeks to move an individual/organization to a higher level or achieve some personal ambition. This goal is usually time bound and can be measured using predetermined parameters. The realization of these goals leads to personal fulfillment and better performance in an organization.To achieve these results we need to have a clear and defined process, this process has to be well understood to enable the formulation of well thought out action plans, allocate resources optimally, and align all our actions properly to achieve the goal in mind.The task must be easy to understand and measurable, it is also key to breakdown these tasks and allocate them to departments, units and individuals. For effective execution of corporate strategy it is important that strategy is communicated and understood by the entire work force;

when it is not understood it can lead to failure or partial success. Having understood the process, it is important that we provide the resources to enable its execution. Funding ensures that we put our strategy into action, and action is what gives birth to results. A well-funded strategy without proper monitoring tools frustrates desired results, so score cards are introduced to assess departments; units and individual performance. Also Key Performance Indicators can also be used to measure performance.If your strategy is not working then you need to know why, understand the challenges and formulate better action plans. The most successful people and organizations are those who work out their strategies and end up making strategic thinking a way of life.The successful implementation of any strategy also requires that an

ind iv idua l o r o rg an iza t ion understand not only what needs to be done but also what we don't do or engage in. For instance if your goal is to increase performance on your job, one of the actions you may adopt is to come to work early. To achieve this you may decide to stop keeping late nights and go to sleep earlier to enable you wake up in good time to prepare for work. Similarly, an organization may decide to spend less of its resources on branding and divert such funds to marketing and customer care to satisfy her customers and improve on its sales.When strategy becomes a part of the life of an organization we notice a culture change which leads to performance at a higher level f rom the indiv idua l to the corporate level which ultimately translates to increased value to all stakeholders in the company.

STRATEGY! A WAY OF LIFE

By Ayodele Joseph

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n this interview with Kilowatt Ieditorial staff Aliyu Ardo and K i n g s l e y N k e m n e m e , t h e unassuming Managing Director spoke on various issues and plans for moving YEDC forward towards becoming the best performing company among its peers. Excerpts 1st November 2014 made it one year of operation of YEDC as a private organization; what is your assessment of its performance over this first year? YEDC performance over the first year of operation has been relatively impressive when we consider where we are coming from a n d p u t t i n g o u r o p e r a t i n g environment into perspective but we are far from the desired level of

performance. I do however see improvements and believe we are taking steps in the right direction - forward. We have great people in our organisation that can contribute to achieve our objectives and we will continue to attract good talents to reinforce our team towards meeting our goals and success. W e h a v e r e c e i v e d commendations from our Board of directors, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Bureau for Public Enterprise ( B P E ) a n d s e v e r a l o t h e r government agencies for our performance despite of unique challenges we are facing in the company. The Chairman of NERC Dr. Sam Amadi in a recent interview applauded Yola as a high performing

Distribution Company (DISco) among other DIScos. Despite these commendations we are not resting on our oars but continue to seek ways to work through these security issues and inadequate power allocation which have starved the company of the much revenue funds needed to implement the roadmap for network infrastr ucture ; rehabi l i ta t ion programmes and customer metering that will improve the lot of our esteemed customers. Sir, the company premises has been undergoing rebranding lately. Does the rebranding process extend to network infrastructure and employee re-orientation?

ngr. Luis S. Doble Jr. a reputable, strong-minded and silent achiever from Manila Electric Company (MERALCO), the EPhilippines' biggest electricity distribution company and technical partner to IEDM who owns YEDC. Luis joined YEDC August 2014 and has within his short stay introduced far reaching changes largely geared towards achieving a shift in the thinking of Employees from a public service mindset to a commercially aware world class workforce committed to best service delivery.

ONE ON ONE WITH Engr. Luis S. Doble Jr.

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Yes, my topmost priority is to re-organize the injection substations, then office facilities and then the e n t i r e e l e c t r i c a l n e t w o r k infrastructure of YEDC. The Technical Operations department is currently preparing a roadmap, a 5 year distribution development plan and network maintenance and rehabilitation program for the company which we intend to launch in June this year; this is however dependent on required cash injection to YEDC and securing the CBN loan facility to fund these programmes. Our distribution network was n e g a t i ve l y i m p a c t e d by t h e insurgency in North East Nigeria as our infrastructure were often targets of insurgents and most of the damaged infrastructure require outright replacement, another need for funds. With regards to staff re-o r i e n t a t i o n , y e s w e h a ve a programme of actions lined up aimed at effecting a change in employees such as will etch the values of YEDC in the mindset of employees. These programmes already started and the change is already being gradually imbibed by employees and will eventually change the image of YEDC into that of a high calibre organisation comprising dedicated employees who uphold integrity, professionalism and teamwork as core va lues ; an organisation committed to the provision of better electricity services to meet the needs of our customers. Given the security challenges and the insurgents' attacks on YEDC facilities which led to

temporar y shutdown of of operations in Bama, Michika, Mubi and Gombi Business Units, how is YEDC meeting up with its obligations such as payment of M.O Bills, salaries and wages, network maintenance upgrading and customer metering? Well, the issue of insecurity has hit us hard indeed and it has been a herculean task to meet up with the aforementioned obligations but we have been up to the task till date and not had to owe staff salaries, which is top priority to us. Looking ahead, we have written to NERC to seek support to defer the implementation of Transitional Electricity Market (TEM) for YEDC pending when the security situation improves and we resume normal operations at the business units in the erstwhile occupied areas. It is then that we can be able to generate more funds to sustain our operations and to pay our obligations to the market operators, s a l a r i e s and wag es, and fo r maintenance and improvement of our network facilities. We have also requested for the release of the Central Bank (CBN) loan facilities to enable YEDC lunch our five year maintenance plan on the ne twork in f r a s t r uc tures and metering. Internally, I keep pushing our business managers to significantly improve their cash collections and eliminate fraud and anomalies in their coverage area.

How soon do you expect the CBN Loan facility?I hope we will have it very soon after IEDM response to inquiry from the

CBN, we learned that Ibadan and other Discos have already received theirs and that gives us confidence that we will receive ours too. Y E D C r e q u i r e s a d a i l y allocation of about 176MW of electricity to ensure all customers across the four states Borno, Yobe, Ada mawa a n d Ta r a b a en joy electricity supply. What is the average daily allocation received from transmission and how can it be improved to enable fair and equitable distribution of electricity?The issue of improved power allocation to YEDC is fundamental to our operations if we really want to make a difference between PHCN and YEDC. A lot of effort has been made by the Technical Operations department to address this issue but we are yet to get the desired results. Sometimes, YEDC as a company covering 4 big states in the North-East received as low as 30MW. We do understand that all the Distribution Companies do have shortfall due to low generation capacity but the case of YEDC is particularly disturbing, we have the least electricity power allocation of 3.5% of total generation but in reality only get an average of 1% percent. We raised this issue with NERC, Ministry of Power and have also written to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) several times and hope that it shall be given due consideration sooner than later.One of the new innovations is the introduction of IT based operation what are your plans on IT and what scope will it cover?

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We intend to have a robust and effective Information Technology in place; it is too difficult to run the company manually. In fact, I have instructed the new head of IT to provide a roadmap that will enhance YEDC operation, reduce time wastage and improve individual employee productivity. Our target is to ensure connectivity of YEDC HQ to all business units in the franchise area and have real time reporting and monitoring. We are adopting a phased approach due to financial constraints but the overall objective is to enhance productivity.It is essential in a system to have a well-motivated staff particularly,

prompt payment of salaries, what are the welfare schemes for YEDC employees?One of the top most priorities of YEDC management is the prompt payment of salaries and benefits; that is why I have directed our finance department to ensure all salaries including security are paid within prompt time schedule.The challenge here again is finance; failure to generate enough revenue could lead to delays in payment of salaries. I need full cooperation from each of you to strive hard to deliver the expected results and also from our customers to pay their bills

prompt ly. I assure you that employee welfare is a top priority of management and as our finances improve new schemes will unfold.Sir, what are the chal lenges m i l i t a t i n g a g a i n s t Y E D C operations?The challenges are many but I will share a few; insecurity is the most critical. We at different times had to suspend operations in 5 Business Units: Yerwa, Bulumkutu, Mubi, Michika and Gombi; 4 others - Damaturu, Potiskum, Biu and Wukari were perpetually under threat. Secondly, power allocation to YEDC has posed a se r ious

challenge to the extent that our customers are becoming agitated as a result of incessant black out; they have protested more than twice demanding better service but the fact remains that we can only give what we have – the allocation received has been very poor, so much that some customers stay for almost a week without supply. This gives us a lot of concern but we are constrained by the service received from the TCN.Thirdly, the failure of electricity consumers to pay their bills. This has resulted to an increase in the company's outstanding debt profile

which has hit a feverish high of over ten billion naira, the armed forces, police and some of the state and local governments customers accounting for over 50% of this figure. Fourth on the list is the pilfering of e l e c t r i c i t y t h r o u g h i l l e g a l connections, meter shunting, diversion of electricity payments through dealings with unauthorised third parties including touts and d i s e n g a g e d P H C N s t a f f . Unfortunately some bad eggs among our current employees may be involved in these shameful activities. . A task force on integrity was formed to check these activities

and so far they a r e d o i n g a good job.

What message do you have for the staff and the customers o f Y E D C m o v i n g forward?I commend all staff that are doing their best t o e n s u r e YEDC moves forward, they are part of the success story so far. I enjoin them to c o n t i n u e i n

their determination to succeed, accountability, integrity and high degree of professionalism in their respective duties. Integrity is one of our core values and as we uphold it, we can only move forward towards achieving our set goals. The drive towards change starts with you.To our customers, I plead for your understanding and prompt payment of your electricity bills. Please partner with us to protect YEDC facilities by reporting suspected incidents of vandalism, illegal connections and fraud to the nearest YEDC office.

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he Company end of year party Ttook place on Tuesday 9 December 2014. The Managing Director Engr. Luis S. Doble, Jr. in his opening remarks commended YEDC staff for their resilience, focus and performance in spite of the security challenges that led to the suspension of operations in some business units, the challenges of low power allocation to the company and of poor network infrastructure inherited from the defunct PHCN.

YEDC holds End of Year Party

By Aliyu H Ardo

Luis highlighted some achievements of the company within the year including prompt salary payment, improvement of the network infrastructure; training and development improved marketing efficiency, the HSE record of the company where no fatality was recorded through the year. He also shared plans to enhance the base operation, customer sensitization, quality billing and reiterated management commitment to a facelift and rebranding of YEDC and set the tone for the event in conclusion calling for free interaction and socializing at the event which was intended to build camaraderie among staff.

Similarly, the Head of Policy and Strategy, Mr. Ayodele Joseph while giving the toast urged staff to wine and dine with management for the successes recorded so far with hearty cheers to staff and management of YEDC, to all our esteemed customers and to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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ta f f of YEDC disp laced by Sinsurgents' occupation of Mubi, Michika and Gombi on Tuesday 7th October 2014 converged at the company headquarters to receive some token r e l i e f m a t e r i a l s j o i n t l y contributed/donated by staff and management of the company.

Addressing the staff, the MD/CEO who was represented by the Head of Technical Operations, Engr. Nestor Divina thanked God for sparing the lives of the affected staff who were survivors of the insurgents' attacks. He sadly acknowledged the hardship the staff and their families were subjected to while escaping through the bush without any of their belongings, some fled into the Cameroun Republic and some others spent days inside the bush without any food or water.

He further called on the Government and all security agencies to help address the insurgency as it has impacted negatively on the operations and revenue of the company. He disclosed that currently five business units; Bama, Mubi, Gombi, Michika and Maiduguri

are temporarily not operational while a b o u t f o u r o t h e r s : D a m a t u r u , Postiskum, Biu and wukari were operational but exposed to intermittent attacks of the insurgents.

He informed the affected staff that the efforts to package relief items for them stemmed from the concern and brotherhood of YEDC staff and management with the hopes that the items will help alleviate their hardship.

The Head of Human Resources, Mrs Becky Mshelia also addressed the d i s p l a c e d s t a f f i n f o r m i n g o f management plans to redeploy them to relatively peaceful Business Units to continue with their work pending the return to normalcy in their locations; the redeployments have since been implemented.

In his remarks, the Head of Policy and strategy, Mr Ayodele Joseph praised M a n a g e m e n t f o r t h e i n i t i a t i v e a n d a l s o e m p l o y e e s f o r t h e i r

response for the support of the affected employees stating that it was a reflection of the fact that we are a family.

Re s p o n d i n g o n b e h a l f o f t h e beneficiaries, the Mubi Business Manager, Adamu Audu appreciated management for the concern and assistance, recounting their ordeal as they wandered in despair without food and water some on barefoot as they made their way to safety. Calling on all well-meaning people to pray for the end to the terror, he said if not for God's guidance, protection and the assistance of some good Samaritans, they may not have made it to their safe haven.

Crisis Management Desk

Staff support YEDC Displaced staffBy Aliyu H Ardo

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anagement of YEDC organised a Mtwo day workshop themed “Strategy for higher performance: translating strategy into operational excellence”.Addressing participants at the AUN Hotel, the Managing Director, Engr. Luis Doble, Jr. who was represented by the Senior Corporate Communication Officer, Mr. Kingsley Nkemneme implored participants to devote more attention to finding solutions to the myriad of problems facing the company with the aim of providing a workable plan of action that could be faithfully implemented as a way forward.

He emphasised the need to have short term and long term plans with specific set objective targets that could be tied up into a timeline. He stressed the need for all Business Unit heads to brace up to the challenge noting that they would be held fully accountable for their Business Units. He cautioned that issues of cash collection, network maintenance, fault clearing , customer response , meter reading, meter bye pass and illegal connection must not be treated with levity.Luis enjoined all participants to deliberate extensively on factors militating against payment hundred percent energy bills, cash collection challenges, customer's data audit,

network improvement among others with a view to providing lasting and workable solutions for implementation.

The Head of Policy and Strategy and the convener of the workshop, Mr. Ayodele Joseph in his presentation identified some critical issues on what needs to be done to enhance the organizational performance to the delight of all electricity stakeholders.

Ayodele emphasized attitudinal and cultural changes, taking ownership, corporate governance, business model, s e t t i n g t a r g e t s , p e r f o r m a n c e management and teamwork as the necessary values to be imbibed by all employees to make YEDC a top performing organization.He explained that Business Managers must see the business unit as their own highlighting that the buck in the BU stops at the desk of the Business Manager thus the need for him/her to provide the much needed leadership impetus for success of the business. It is part of leadership he noted, to set targets and mentor subordinates to achieve them.

He emphasized teamwork in his conclusion stating that no one works in isolation as al l depar tments are interdependent. He explained that

teamwork is the hallmark of success providing an acronym for TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More.

Two presentations were taken on the f i r s t day ; the f i r s t on the new organizational structure which seeks to empower Business Managers as CEOs of their Business Units was presented by the Head of HR, Mrs Becky Mshelia w h i l e t h e H e a d o f M a r ke t i n g Operations, Mr. Mustapha Usman later spoke on marketing performance and new paradigm shift to response performance, meter reading , customer interaction, quality billing and realistic collection respectively. The seminar then broke up into syndicate groups to further deliberate on issues and proffer solutions and set up business plans and targets.

On the second day, papers were presented by Chief Finance Officer, Mr Rimamsikwe Aranki and the Head of Audit Mr. Christopher Sambo on financial accountability, billing and collection efficiency, cash tracking, financial management and security of collection and by the Head Procurement and Logistics, Engr. Sani Kakangi, He said that as a company, due process must be strictly followed in purchasing and supply, irrespective of who is involved.Sani explained that Procurement and Logistics is poised to partner all the departments in meeting up with their purchasing requirements stressing the need for all purchases originating from any user department to go through Logistics to ensure proper scrutiny and prudent management of resources.

The seminar again broke up to syndicate groups on day 2 where issues bordering on factors militating cash collection, Business Unit immediate needs, business plans and targets were isolated and discussed with immediate and long-term solutions proffered.

Interestingly, the seminar identified, customer meter reading, proper load assessment before tariff classification for unmetered customer, early quality billing, strict monitoring of PPM

By Aliyu Hassan Ardo

Business Unit Heads to take charge; streamline Business Plan and objective

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customers, sensitization, grid metering, increased power allocation, strict compliance with NERC estimate billing methodology, customer identification with the last four digit of the computer account number to avoid duplication, prompt response to fault clearing, network improvement and maintenance as some fundamental recommendations that would greatly improve YEDC performance and consequently customer satisfaction.The workshop was concluded with the production of a business plan with SMART objectives which were harmonised into a working document for YEDC.

imply defined, an electricity meter or Senergy meter is a device that measures the amount of electrical energy delivered to our customers which could be residence, business, special or industrial customers as classified by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission – (NERC). The unit of measurement on electricity meters is the Kilowatt hour (kWh). The meter is a very important tool that can help solve most of the problems in the electricity industry which includes the under listed.1. Reduction of Losses as a result of 78%

Billing of unmetered customers:- YEDC and indeed a l l Nig er i a Electricity Distribution Companies are constrained by NERC to bill only 78% of energy delivered to unmetered customers; this is a deliberate action intended to encourage metering of customers the outcome of which will t rans la te to reduced losses to incomplete billing of unmetered customers – the more metered customers you have, the more customers you can bill 100% of energy delivered.

2. Customer satisfaction: The most frequent category of customer complaints in the power industry today

is billing. We receive regular complaints of “overbilling”, “unsubstantiated billing”, “estimated billing” etc. from customers. Deployment of prepaid meters will go a long way to solve these problems, but with regular monitoring to check the menace of energy pilfering.

Given the rate of billing complaints, it is logical to expect improved cash collection with a higher population of metered customers.

3. Improving our Customer population: An improved customer population where individual entit ies (f lats, apartment etc) have personal meters will resolve the attendant challenges of shared meters. It is commonplace for some customers to feels cheated in a shared meter situation since they own different appliances and thus consume energy at different rates.

Also, in a shared meter situation where a group of customers collectively pay the same fixed charge as an individual with a personal meter, it is unfair to the customer with a personal meter and also impacts our cash collection negatively.

4. Reduction of Commercial losses in the network: Meters can be used to curb the menace of consumers in our network particularly churches and mosques many of which neither have meters nor receive bills and worse still, our marketing officers hardly disconnect fo r non-payment . T he use o f prepayment meters for these customers will not only improve our customer population but will more importantly increase our revenue.

5. Energy Audit: Some uncertainties and imprecision exists in the energy we receive and distribute to our customers. Meters can be used to run energy audits where metering is widely implemented as they (meters) reveal the exact amounts of energy consumed at a particular substation and if all the customers connected to that substation are metered, then the difference between the summation of all the energy consumed by the metered accounts and that of the substation should give us the losses. The results of an energy audit will form the basis of the targets of the marketers.

CUSTOMER METERING;A PANACEA TO COMMERCIAL LOSSES By Taju Alawiye

EDC in demonstration of Yits commitment to provide c o n d u c i v e w o r k i n g

environment for its staff and cultivate good working relationship with the neighbouring community, constructed a twelve thousand (12,000) litres of water per hour capacity electric powered borehole at the Jimeta area office for the use of the community and staff.

The project is part of the Company's effort to give back to its host communities via Corporate Social Responsibility and was aimed to ease

the erstwhile plight of staff and community who needed to go further distances in search of potable water.

Reacting, the community leader Alh Inuwa Baba Paris in an interview with Kilowatt correspondent Aliyu A r d o c o m m e n d e d Y E D C Management for the project and pledged his support and cooperation to YEDC particularly with regards to protecting the borehole and indeed all other YEDC installations within the area against vandalism.

The Area Head, Jimeta-Yola, Hajiya Zainab Hassan, also lauded the development noting that the initiative would positively impact the productivity of staff.

By Aliyu H Ardo

YEDC PROVIDES BOREHOLE AT JIMETA AREA OFFICE

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1. Buy the most energy-efficient appliances that you can Selecting energy efficient appliances and using them efficiently saves energy and money. This is particularly important when buying a new fridge, freezer or air-conditioner, as they use a lot of power. These appliances are often a little more expensive to buy, but are less expensive to run. This means you will make your money back quickly through lower electricity bills.

2. Make sure you aren't wasting e l e c t r i c i t y t h r o u g h p o o r connections and wiring

You can do this by having all your electrical work done by a qualified and competent professional. Having this work done by somebody who is not suitably qual if ied is a lso potentially dangerous.

3. When you are using an air conditioner keep your doors and

windows closed If you don't, you will be wasting

energy and money.

4. Keep your air-condit ioner thermostat at 22-24 degrees

Trying to keep the temperature of a room lower than this will mean you are using more energy than you need.

5. Use a fan rather than an air conditioner when possible

A fan uses less power and is cheaper to run.

6. Turn off lights and appliances When you are not using a room,

remember to turn the light off. Even in the office, turn off the lights in the conference room when not in use. When you are not using an appliance, turn it off. If you leave it on stand-by, it is still using electricity. Unplug your cha rg e r (mob i l e phones, laptops, PDAs etc) when the battery is fully charged

or when not in use.

7. Light bulbs Use energy efficient light bulbs.

Replace standard bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. These use less power and last longer.

8. Fridge and freezer Keep your freezer full. It uses

less energy than an empty one. For maximum saving, consider filling your freezer with gallon containers of water. Don't leave the door open for too long when you are taking things out or p u t t i n g t h i n g s i n o r t h e temperature inside will rise and have to be cooled again, and this uses a lot of electricity.

ENERGY SAVING TIPS

1. Always be responsible for the safety of yourself and others.

2. Always remember all accidents are preventable.

3. Always abide by company rules, regulations and procedures.

4. Always think smart

before you start. When safety is first, you last.

5. Always be proactive about safety.

6. Always steer clear of situations you're not trained to handle.

7. Always prepare & prevent instead of repair & repent.

8. Always be part of the

safety TEAM…. (Together Everyone Achieves More).

9. Always practice good housekeeping.

10. Always take the safest path, never take shortcuts.

Th

e 10 commandments of workplace safety

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A graduate of Business Management from Modibbo Adama University of Technology, he joined PHCN in 2003 as a temporary staff and got confirmed as Staff I, Marketing in 2008 and is presently serving as Clerk II Marketing in the Jimeta - Yola area office. He manages about 800 customers and has been consistent in meeting his billing targets.

Andiki's customers were spread across Old GRA, Kila quarters, NEPA road and Shinco and Zango, areas noted more for volatility than viability but he was able to consistently achieve above 90% delivery of his billing targets in the past 5 months. His success secrets? “Humour and Integrity” he says.

Major Achievements-Achieved 90% of billing target consistently-Recorded regularly high customer response -Recorded the lowest Prepaid meter bypass in his area of coverage-Maintained the lowest outstanding debt profile from billing.Andiki's consistency in delivery has earned him a place in this edition of the Newsletter as a trailblazer.

TRAILBLAZERSTRAILBLAZERSIn line with YEDC's commitment to reward hard work and dedication in employees across all departments, we again in this edition of Kilowatt highlight some of the outstanding performers of the company.

Julius Haruna joined YEDC as a Team Lead in 2014 after stints with Abuja Metrological Management Council and Jubrah Construction Company as partner to American University Of Nigeria (AUN) and is now a Manager with the Procurement and Logistics department.A graduate of Civil Engineering from the Modibbo Adama University of Technology and the Florida Institute of Technology USA and an M.sc holder from the prestigious University of Roehampton London, He brought his experience and intellect to bear into the rebranding and remodelling of YEDC.

Julius' performance in managing the facelift of the YEDC office premises with professionalism, integrity and commitment has won him a seat among the Trailblazers for this edition of the Newsletter.

Julius Haruna

Abubakar Andiki

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Queen I. Njidda joined the defunct PHCN in 2008 and currently serves in the Numan Business unit as a cashier.She has since distinguished herself with a quality of service worthy of royalty as her name “Queen” suggests: prudent handling of the company finance with notable efficiency and without compromise.Highlights of her performance include:· She handles her tasks with outstanding customer service· She has handled transactions in remote locations where bank services were unavailable without any compromise of her integrity.We celebrate Queen as a trailblazer for this quarter for her honesty, integrity and outstanding dedication to YEDC. All hail the Queen!

Mohammed K. Musa has been an outstanding performer in the Technical Operations department in Damaturu Business Unit, Yobe state. He was a staff of the now defunct PHCN disengaged during the takeover; however a need arose later and he got re-engaged as Officer II Lines and true to his reputation, he has since served with unrivalled commitment and dedication to duty.Highlights of Mohammmed's remarkable performance include:-· Over 90% punctuality. · Best staff in prompt response to fault clearing and network maintenance.· He is known to uphold high HSE standards in his work. A testimony to this is the fact that he carried out all his tasks without any Lost Time Incident.· Recorded over 90% network stability within his area of his coverage.These outstanding attributes of Mohammed did not go unnoticed thus his selection in this edition of the Newsletter as a YEDC trailblazer. Keep the flag flying Mohammed, we are proud of you!

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TRAILBLAZERSTRAILBLAZERS

Queen I. Njidda

Mohammed K. Musa

he Technica l Operat ions TDepartment is the nucleus of all operations in the Yola electricity Distribution Company. It is saddled w i t h t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f coordinating all technical activities of the company. These operations include (but are not limited to) n e t w o r k i m p r o v e m e n t / maintenance, load scheduling and utilization, technical loss reduction, compliance to technical standards and guidelines, technical personnel training, maintenance of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) standards, prompt and timely response to technical complaints, all aimed at enhanced service delivery and maximum customer satisfaction.Since privatization in November 2013, YEDC has strived to ensure that its customers enjoy quality

electricity service despite the myriad of challenges militating against its operations.

We now take a quick look at some of the department's responsibilities to t h e end o f h i gh l i gh t i ng i t s achievements over the first year of operation since the privatization:

N E T W O R K I M P R O V E M E N T / MAINTENANCE: To ensure delivery of quality power to our c u s t o m e r s , t h e d e p a r t m e n t embarked on aggressive network maintenance. This ranges from tree trimming to re-tensioning of sagged lines, replacement of damaged cross arms to the use of connectors, straightening of leaning poles to the r e p l a c e m e n t o f t i e - s t r a p s ,

replacement of conductors and improving the integrity of the network through replacement of damaged and or broken poles across the region. These preventive and corrective maintenance operat ions have resulted in improved power supply due to enhanced stability of supply and reduced occurrence of trips and failures on the network evidenced by the steady supply even during the rains unlike in the past where power trips were regular during rainfall. Technical personnel have had to contend with working under difficult terrains, at times in areas classified as “high risk” due to insurgency or communal crises.

One year review of the Technical Operations departmentBy

Bulus Abegye

Monthly Average Load Allocation to YEDCNovember 2013 - October 2014

Energy transmitted to YEDC from the TCN is dispatched to the various feeders for customer consumption by the energy management unit guided by the load dispatch plan, designed to accommodate all our customers.It is important to note that electricity allocation to YEDC is guided by the national grid system operation as directed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory commission (NERC). Currently, YEDC daily electricity allocation is set at 3.5% of the available generation however in reality the actual allocation received trends along an average figure of about 1% of the daily generation capacity. The diagram below indicates the monthly average allocation to YEDC within one Year.

LOAD SCHEDULE AND UTILIZATION:

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