Effective End-To-End Metering Is One Of The Ways That We Can Actually Increase Our Revenue -Hussein
Hussein: Thank you very much. It is true that the office is new and a cross section of the staff aren’t conversant with it.
The office of the Regional Operations Coordinator is basically meant to coordinate, guide, supervise the activities of the Area Offices & other units within the region to achieve the Company`s key strategic objectives of revenue generation, loss reduction, capacity enhancement and managerial skills for the Region.
Part of the key duties and responsibilities of the office are as listed below:
· Oversee the development of all the various functional heads at the Region and monitors their performance in order to enhance their technical, commercial, accounting and managerial skills
· Ensure that the technical services and distribution installations in the region are well-maintained to service all customers
· Initiate development projects for capacity enhancement and system augmentation to cover previously un-served areas/customers
· Ensure coordination between the HQ management and regional office and other business offices for implementation of company policies and management directives
CCD: A cross section of staffs are of the opinion that Regional Coordinators are not adding any value to the system because it is more less a one-man office, do you subscribe to this assertion, and how can the office of Regional Coordinators be made more effective?
Hussein: This is truly a result of misunderstanding and I don’t subscribe to it. The office of the ROC is a well thought out plan and all-encompassing in the sense that it involves all entire staff in the region and not a one-man show as some staffs are inclined to believe. The Company is expanding/growing & plans to increase our customer base is in top gear and for us to be the best electricity distribution company in Nigeria within the next ten years (as stated in our mission statement), there is need to decentralize our operations moreover the responsibility of one Manager (HOP) to run the entire Company can become overwhelming as the number of the Area offices increases, thus, the need for the office of the Regional Operations Coordinator. This is so for us to be more efficient and highly effective in maximizing the enormous potential in the business.
CCD: The Doka, Kawo, Barnawa & Kafanchan Area Offices which you superintend are the revenue base of the Company, what are you doing to ensure that there is sustainable growth in the monthly revenue of these Area Offices?
Hussein: Some of the measures deployed in order to sustain growth in spite of the obvious challenges are:
a. Sustained and Aggressive Collections drive to ensure 80% collection efficiency on current bills.
b. Increased customer base through new set up and separation (Minimum of 30 Nos newly captured per SR)
c. Sustained recovery drive of at least a minimum of 5% from HCB & 15% from HRB customers out of the outstanding.
d. Leveraging on the continued CCG Promo Program
e. Effective PPM monitoring to block revenue leakages.
f. Constant Community engagement to enlighten our customers on happenings in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI)
But above all, staff have been enjoined to show more dedication to duty, have a change of attitude towards the job and also be of high integrity as these are the fulcrum upon which all the above strategies revolve if we intend to have a continuous and sustainable growth.
CCD: What is the performance of your Region Vis-a-Vis the target?
Hussein: The performance of the Region vis-à-vis target is estimated to be 40% from the 4 AOs in the Region in spite of all the challenges. This is not where we want to be as a Region and there is a lot of room for improvement. We strongly believe with the right mindset, focus and determination, we can increase this to achieve at the minimum, 60% before the end of the year.
CCD: The commercial and collection losses in the HCB (High Customer Base) subsector is much high than the accepted threshold, how do we curtail the high commercial and collection losses especially on the HCB category?
Hussein: One of the most effective ways to curtail the high commercial and collection losses is by intensifying end-to-end metering of all the customers. Additionally, we also need to refine and further automate our collection processes so as to reduce to the barest minimum the direct cash handling by our Sales Representatives and field staff.
There is also the urgent need for a re-training of our SRs to be able to understand and appreciate the value chain of the electricity sector so that they can speak from an informed view point and also impress it upon them the spirit of ownership. This will surely go a long way in partly addressing this issue.
Punitive measures must also be applied to both staff and customers found to be aiding or abetting any unethical practice(s) in the field so as to serve as a deterrent to others nursing that ambition.
CCD: The three Area Offices under you are largely metropolitan in nature, how are you contending with the menace of meter bypass and tampering as well as other forms of energy theft?
Hussein: Meter tampering, bypass and other forms of energy theft are major leakages in revenue realization in the distribution chain of the electricity sector. As a Regional Operations Coordinator overseeing the affairs of these Area Offices, we have been working hand in hand with the Enforcement Unit at each of the Area Offices and the HQ especially in locations with high PPM concentration for visits and report of infraction on a daily basis. This has yielded positive result. For instance, during the Doka Pilot, over 100Nos supposed PPM meter boxes were found empty. Those found wanting were charged accordingly and followed up to ensure payments are made.
CCD: The National Mass Metering programme is steadily gaining momentum, how do you think the program will affect the revenue generation in your Region?
Hussein: The import of this exercise cannot be overemphasized. Effective end-to-end metering is one of the ways that we can actually increase our revenue, positively impact the bottom-line and ensure every kilowatt counts. This is evident in the recent metering exercise of MD Abubakar Estate whose total collection prior to the exercise was estimated to be N1.1m but now in the region of N4m.
We are also suggesting similar exercise to be carried out at Millennium City and Urban Shelter areas.
CCD: Who is Hussein Kangiwa and what brings out the best in him?
Hussein: I am a very simple and easy going fellow, disciplined, accommodating and above all an ardent team player. With over 2 decades of Banking experience, a Masters of Banking and Finance from Usman Dan Fodio University and a professional membership of both Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria(CIBN) and Risk Managers Association of Nigeria(RIMAN). I am always ready and willing to learn new things, processes that will add value to the team and by extension the Company in general.
No comments:
Post a Comment