The Diverse Nature of Kafanchan Area Office Makes it
Challenging and Interesting- AM Kafanchan.
Jerry:
Basically Kafanchan Area office is an interesting terrain with diverse culture
and religious affiliation, this brings to bear the complexity of this terrain.
Kafanchan Area Office
spanned over six local government, Namely; Jema’a, Zango, Kaura, Sanga, Jaba,
Lere and some part of Kachia local government. Navigating through this
heterogeneous terrain requires a lot of courage and determination which my team
and I are brought to drive electricity business in the area office to the next
level of growth.
Kafanchan Area Office is predominantly 33kv
line network from 132kv Jos TCN mainline
which is radiated to different locations for example; Zonkwa 33kv line with 84
distribution transformers, Kafanchan 11kv line (township) has 56 distribution
transformers, Kagoro 11kv has 35 distribution transformers (NIPP inclusive),
Manchok 11kv line is 34 distribution transformers, while Kafanchan 33kv is
detailed as follows:
A Kagoma/kwoi leg 107
transformers
B. Gidan Waya/fadan karshi/Gwantu leg has 62
transformers.
Saminaka 11/33kv are 19
and 65 transformers respectively.
However, cash drive is
our responsibility to track our debtors through Community engagement and direct
cash collection. Interestingly, due to the diverse nature of the terrain,
collection is always a herculean task which we try to surmount.
Our average monthly
energy is valued at N80m while our average monthly collection stands at N41m
until this recent crisis of covid-19 pandemic dropped the bar for us. However,
we have improved to 24m and with the task force team in town, we hope to close the
gap if not for the crisis in Jagindi and Zonkwa axis that has been a huge
stretch on our struggle because of the safety of our men. Another set-back to
our revenue drive was the fact that Zango Local Government is still on 24hours
curfew since the begining of June this year.
CCD: What are the key area(s) the Kafanchan Area
Office is paying or going to pay urgent and serious attention to under your
leadership?
Jerry:
the key areas in Kafanchan Area Office are Kafanchan main town, Bank feeder and
Kafanchan 33kv main town.
These are predominantly
the points where we mop collection much and with the new A Ban categorisation given
to Kafanchan 11kv, more attention shall be given to the feeder. There will be
more direct follow-up on these locations to enhance cash drive and regular
engagement with the communities (Sensitization) under these feeders.
CCD: How is your Area Office faring in terms of
collection vis-à-vis the target?
Jerry:
My area office is fairing reasonably well in terms of follow up to defaulted customers
but in absolute numbers we are not where we are suppose to be; the addition of
Saminaka feeders is also an added stretch which we are surmounting as we have
deployed more staff within our limited staff strength to grow them from one
sales representative to 4no and same applied to technical staff. We also held direct
engagement with the various chiefdom and Chairman of Lere Local Government.
CCD: The figure is still not heart-warming, what do
you think need to be done to reverse the trend?
Jerry:
Data drives business and we are in top gear to mop up all our collection
through aggressive cash drive activities.
However, the figure
basically requires more hands, working tool and more fuelling to urgently reach
out to all nooks and crannies of our terrain as the battle is actually in the
field, Because of this push our collection will definitely grow astronomically.
CCD: Having been on the saddle for some time now,
what are the most challenging aspects of being an Area Manager?
Jerry:
Vandalism and destruction of power lines has been a major threat to our
terrain; we have lost over 16 distribution transformers to vandals which we are
restoring gradually within the ambit of our limited resource. Recently,
Godogodo community caught two vandals which we communicated and followed up to
the Area Commander of Police for prosecution, today they are in prison cooling
their feet and we believe it will serve as deterrent to others.
Secondly, rainstorm
this year has been massive, we lost over 131 HT poles to rainstorm devastation
however, we are gradually resolving them and supply is been restored to the
affected areas.
We will not relent in pushing harder until we
attain the expected height. We are also working hard to have cashiers at our
cash points in the hinter lands.
CCD: How are the twin-evils of meters tempering/bypass
and illegal connection affecting the performance of the Area Office?
Jerry:
Illegal tempering has been a big challenge we are facing in this electricity
business and Kafanchan in particular is not left out. However, we have
regularly engaged the communities through the various chiefdoms,
community/religious leaders and radio engagements on Salama radio, Rock side fm
Kafanchan as well as Nenzi fm, Farma Community to add to the engagement
activities of the Area Office. The security agency has been of great support
towards addressing this menace and we shall continually engage them.
CCD: Is there any help or intervention you need from
the higher Management.
Jerry:
Kafanchan Area Office, because of the peculiarity of our terrain that is
constatntly in need of man power, working tool, maintenance of our network and
operational activities to enable us reach out to our esteem customers in the
hinder lands. I appeal that more hands and working tool be given to us to
enable us reach out to our esteem customers along with robust Internet
facilities as well as cashiers. We know the Management are trying; however, we need
more man power, safety belts, and working tools across all departments in my
terrain.
CCD: In a few sentences, who is Jerry Okoh and what
brings the best out of him.
Jerry:
I am highly dedicated and resourcefull fellow with great passion for what I do.
Passion brings out the best in me.
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