Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc has launched mobile and web applications for managing electricity accounts, alongside assurances on customer data protection and a commitment to eliminate estimated billing through wider metering.
The MyPower platform was unveiled in Abuja this week. AEDC serves customers across the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Niger, and Nasarawa.
Payments and complaints move online
The company says customers can use the platform to purchase electricity tokens, pay bills, access payment records, and submit and track complaints.
It also includes a tool for checking the identity of AEDC personnel visiting customers’ premises.
Managing director Chijioke Okwuokenye said the initiative was intended to improve communication and help the company understand customers’ needs, according to reporting by Punch.
Some capabilities remain planned. Punch reported that Okwuokenye described real-time electricity consumption monitoring as a future addition.
Company gives data protection assurances
According to The Guardian’s report, Okwuokenye said customers would undergo verification before accessing their accounts. A know-your-customer process would restrict access to their own personal and account information, he said.
These are the company’s assurances about its safeguards, rather than independent confirmation of their effectiveness.
AEDC’s published privacy notice says it collects information including names, addresses and contact details. It says payment details for electricity tokens are handled by banks or payment processors.
Estimated billing has not ended
Okwuokenye said AEDC would place greater emphasis on installing meters and closing gaps in coverage. Punch reported that the company’s objective was to meter every customer on its network.
The reports reviewed did not identify a deadline for achieving that target.
Customers without meters can still use the digital platform through their account numbers, The Guardian reported. Access to an app, however, does not itself provide a meter or replace estimated charges with readings of actual consumption.
For households and businesses, the immediate development is another way to manage accounts and pursue complaints. Ending estimated billing will depend on the promised meter installations.
