YEDC Newsletter

t is with great zest and a posi�ve outlook that Ithe new management team of Yola Electricity Distribu�on Company took over the

opera�ons of distribu�ng electricity within north eastern Nigeria comprising Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Borno states in November 2013. A cardinal objec�ve of the YEDC newsle�er is to keep employees connected and abreast with on goings as well as to provide a pla�orm for the sharing of informa�on among the various office loca�ons in YEDC.

As the Editor-in-Chief, my responsibili�es include the advancement of the newsle�er by establishing editorial strategies that highlight the role of YEDC as an integral part of the society. The newsle�er will serve as a vehicle for promo�ng communica�on among all members of staff of the company in all subject areas. Our key focus areas will include: departmental highlights, our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) news, ar�cles by employees, humour, p e o p l e a n d e v e n t s , p h o t o s p e a k ,

a n n o u n c e m e n t s a n d o r g a n i z a � o n a l informa�on, just to men�on a few of the offerings that you will be ge�ng periodically from us and to guide you should you wish to send in ar�cles for publica�on.

The editorial team invites contribu�ons across the listed key focus areas of interest and ar�cles on topical issues that are publishable in newsle�ers for subsequent edi�ons. Reviews of original ar�cles that are beneficial to YEDC employees are acceptable but it is mandatory to include credit to the original author.

I thank all the editorial team members for their various contribu�ons towards making this maiden edi�on of our newsle�er a reality.

Have a deligh�ul reading and we welcome your feedback.

Chairman Advisers Editor In Chief Editorial Committee SecretaryJohnOlatundeAyeniJulesAlcantara TemitopeOwoeye OlukayodeAlale AliyuH.Ardo VictorL.RismaIV SaniKakangi NestorJ.Divina A.J.RAranki

EDITORIAL

A New DawnIt is a tradition in Nigeria likewise Africa that the coming of a newborn baby is heralded with celebration, joy and jubilation. Staff of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), therefore, have every cause to celebrate the dawn of a Distribution Company on 1 November 2013 christened YEDC with a new management team. The new management has a mapped out strategy:

Ø To inspire trust and loyalty from our customers by continually delivering excellent and

improved services through optimal asset management.

Ø To realize full payment of timely, accurate and complete billing for electricity

delivered.

Ø To instill regulatory compliance and commercial mindset in our employees' working

culture.

Ø To expand our capability and geographic footprint across the zone to enhance our

customers' experience.

…From the desk of the Chief Editor

Page8

Page9

Page12

Temitope Owoeye

ola Electricity Distribu�on YCompany (YEDC) management embarked on a familiariza�on

tour of the Business Units to get acquainted with staff, infrastructure and opera�ons at the different sta�ons.The tour team comprised the Managing Director, Jules Alcantara, Head of Technical Services, Nestor J. Divina, Head of Marke�ng & Customer Care, Victor L. Risma IV, Head of Human Resources and Logis�cs, Temitope Owoeye. Eight (8) Business Units were visited in all as at press �me. The tour flagged off with visits to Jambutu, Jimeta and Yelwa Business Units. These Business Units are all within Yola the Adamawa state capital. During the visit, the Managing Director implored staff to intensify their efforts to improve service delivery and advised against late coming and unethical prac�ces.

The management team were at Jalingo Taraba State capital next where they were received at the YEDC office by the Business Manager Auwalu Hassan, who conducted them round the office before moving out to the Forest and Specialist Injec�on substa�ons and the Transmission Sta�on at Jalingo. At Jalingo, the MD implored staff to work diligently to ensure prompt response to faults, minimize the occurrences and dura�on of outages on the network, improve cash collec�on, customer focus and ensure our

opera�ons were conducted in a Health, S a fe t y a n d E nv i ro n m e nt ( H S E ) compliant manner as is a cardinal objec�ve of the organisa�on. During the visit the tour team made a stopover at the Transmission Sta�on at Jalingo where the Chief Execu�ve Officer commended the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for the support and coopera�on extended to the Bus iness Un i t , no�ng that Distribu�on and Transmission are interdependent and our efforts are complimentary, highligh�ng Customer sa�sfac�on as the key benefit of the collabora�on. Numan Business Unit was the next stop in the Management Team tour was Numan Business Unit. Addressing staff, the MD again restated the need to be more commi�ed and hardworking in the face of the enormous challenges in our opera�ons.

He commended the Business manager for a good maintenance culture and for keeping the office premises clean before proceeding to Mayo Belwa. Also, at Mayo-Belwa, a service unit under N u m a n B u s i n e s s U n i t , t h e Management Team inspected the opera�onal facili�es at the Injec�on Substa�on which supplies Electricity to Mayo-Belwa, Jada and Ganye; the MD observed that to achieve any progress in providing electricity service, the network must be maintained and strengthened.

The Chief Execu�ve also visited the T r a n s m i s s i o n S t a � o n u n d e r construc�on at Mayo-Belwa, the project which was planned to be completed March, 2014 is expected to boost the voltage level in the area. As part of the familiariza�on tour, the Management were at Michika, Mubi and Gombi in the northern part of Adamawa at the border with Borno and the Republic of Cameroun. The MD commended the staff for their courage, resilience and dedica�on despite security challenges posed by the insurgency in the area. He assured them of Management support and prayed for peace in the area while calling on the government to intervene and restore normalcy to the North East of the Country.

Adewale Afolabi, the Mubi Business Unit Manager complained about the low voltage profile and the low power alloca�on to Mubi , Michika and Gombi axis. At Michika, the Business Manager Adamu Mohammed Babangida decried the deplorable security situa�on in Michika and environs, observing it has nega�vely impacted the supply and maintenance of electricity in the area and the revenue drive of the Business Units. In an effort to improve supply alloca�on, strengthen the rela�on and col labora�on with Transmission Company of Niger ia (TCN), the Management of YEDC also visited the T C N o ffi c e a t A b u j a a n d t h e Transmission Sta�ons at Yola, and Savannah. Management were briefed on the government effort through the Transmission Company in upgrading sta�ons, progress on, on-going projects and strengthening the Transmission lines.Interes�ngly, the Yola Transmission Sta�on had successfully upgraded the 30MVA power transformer to 60MVA and it has tremendously boosted supply to Jimeta, Yola area and Numan Business Unit.According to Engr Badamasi, the P r i n c i p a l M a n a ge r o f t h e Yo l a Transmission Sta�on, the successful installa�on of the 60MVA power transformer has enabled the sta�on operate on 90MVA capacity and this could accommodate an es�mated hundred megawa�s alloca�on of electricity.

MD/CEO TOURS BUSINESS UNITS

he first Townhall meeting of YEDC was

Tconducted at the headquarters of the

company on Wednesday, 20 January 2014

and had in attendance staff of Jimeta-Yola, Yelwa

and Jambutu Business Units.

In his speech the MD/CEO, Jules Alcantara, further

commended the staff for their support and

dedication, assuring them that staff salaries and

welfare are the topmost priorities of the company.

He added that staff salary for the month of January

2014 will be paid by 25 January stating

management commitment to make prompt salary

payment a continuous practice.

In their response, staff expressed delight at the

prompt payment of salaries pledging to support

management to achieve organisation's targets so

as to turn the fortunes of YEDC for the better.

The meeting was concluded with the presentation

of awards by the MD to the top performing staff,

Business Units and department in YEDC.

AwardeesNguru, Yelwa, Jambutu and Damaturu Business Units

Awarded as the top best Business Units with a cash prize of one hundred thousand naira each.

Sani Kakangi, Principal Manager Marketing and Customer care

Awarded for his exceptional handling of the AF Mercados assignment.

Salihu Ahmed

Awarded for his outstanding performance on the prepaid meters vending system.

Mustapha Audu

Awarded for creating the YEDC payroll programme.

Shitu Adamu

Awarded for his excellent performance on the credit billing database migration, data sanitisation and

backups.

Human Resources Department

Awarded for their diligent handling of the initial staff audit and update of the personnel database.

he Head of Technical Services Nestor Divina has

Thinted that YEDC Technical Services will be revitalized soon. He gave the assurance while

speaking to staff at the Town Hall Meeting where he stressed the need for more dedication from staff and in particular linesmen who he described as the engine of the organization considering their role in ensuring the stability of electricity to reach all the customers.

He observed that with little effort, the technical staff have received commendation from customers. Nestor maintained that the challenges of the department are the

dearth of skills and the r ight t o o l s a n d mate r i a l s f o r work, observing t h a t a t r u e linesman must operate with all the necessary s a f e t y precautions and professionalism.

Reflecting on the success recorded s o f a r , h e commended the l i n e s m e n f o r t h e i r p r o m p t response to fault clearing noting however that a

maintenance culture should be imbibed to reduce frequent outages on the network as a result of faults.

He decried the low load allocation to YEDC expressing management resolve to find a solution to the problem and Federal Government commitment to improve electricity generation in the country.

He further advised distribution staff to ensure the distribution network is always healthy and safe to guarantee stability in the system.

he Head of Customer Services Tand Marke�ng, Engr. Victor R i s m a I V, re ve a l e d n e w

strategies to revitalize the marke�ng ac�vi�es of YEDC. Marketers are being made aware of their responsibili�es and the need to be effec�ve in their work, through a prac�cal and regular evalua�on of performance.Victor tasked the marketers to acquaint themselves with their customer routes and ensure that they carefully scour their routes, taking note of the low customer response in the business units. He believes the marketers' effec�veness is key to improving customer sa�sfac�on as YEDC awaits the implementa�on of new systems and new payment op�ons for customers.

On Metering, he stated that a sizable amount of customers remain u n m e t e r e d a n d a r e d i r e c t l y connected to the grid. YEDC will be looking into crea�ve financing schemes for the installa�on of meters for our customers. Also being considered is the implementa�on of the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementa�on (CAPMI) Program, where willing customers make advance payment for the installa�on of a meter and then receive a refund of their advanced

payment over a period of �me through a discount in their billing fixed charges. Explaining further, Victor said that management is considering plans to centralize the customer database in the HQ, with viewing and upda�ng done in the Business Unit instead of in the Billing Centers. Bill Prin�ng Centers will replace the Billing Server Centers for accurate and faster release of bills. The Director disclosed that as the company embarks on an informa�on technology driven system, it is inarguable that in the not-so-distant future, bill es�ma�on will be a thing of the past. Maximum Demand

customers' bills may soon be read remotely, reducing fraud in meter reading. A Customer Management System is also being considered to help improve our responsiveness to customers concerns and enhance efficient service delivery. Electricity consumers, as fellow stakeholders in YEDC, are being called upon to complement the laudable efforts of the company, through the prompt payment of electricity bills, refraining from the preven�on of meter shun�ng and electricity the� and the protec�ng YEDC's installa�ons from vandalism by repor�ng incidents/suspicious movements.

5

VictorRismaIV,HeadofMarketingDepartment&CustomerCareSharesamomentofexcitementwithhisteam

n a bid to reposi�on and align YEDC staff with the best Ibusiness and leadership prac�ces in the power industry, the management has planned a training

programme for the employees.The Head of Human Resources and Logis�cs, Temitope Owoeye disclosed this while addressing staff at a Town Hall Mee�ng, which took place January 2014. He explained that the training programme will be in phases the first of which will be the performance evalua�on and performance management training workshops aimed at acquain�ng staff with the new system of appraisal. Temitope further shared the performance evalua�on workshop plan and �melines for both the Southern and Northern Zone Business Units which were all expected to be completed by 28 January 2014. He explained that the 2nd phase of the training will be external and is aimed at training employees on Informa�on Communica�on Technology, data management) , performance management, employee leadership training and capacity development to build a new work culture and inject improvements geared at increasing the company's

output. Accordingly, staff are to be trained by top notch t ra in ing ins�tu�ons on leadersh ip , bus iness management, communica�on ski l ls, computer proficiency and produc�vity skills, safety management, professional standard opera�ons, basic engineering standards, tools handling and essen�al maintenance etc. He challenged staff to take advantage of these opportuni�es to improve on their professionalism adding that “Management's desire is to give staff the best of training”. In conclusion he disc losed management's commitment to work-life balance a demonstra�on of which is the planned spor�ng fes�val scheduled for April 2014. He noted that interac�on and socializa�on between management and staff would not only improve the physical and mental wellbeing of staff but also foster be�er team bonding and consequently enhance produc�vity while bridging the communica�on gap between management and staff in the overall interest of the organiza�on.

Back row L-R: Aliyu Hassan-Ardo, Mustapha Usman, Sani Kakangi, Temitope Owoeye and Tajudeen AlawiyeFront row L-R: Mr Vandu (ORTECH) Jules Alcantara, Mr Babatope (ORTECH) and Victor Risma IV at the contract signing event.

he management of YEDC in March 2014 signed Tcontract agreements for the supply and installa�on of prepaid and Maximum Demand

(MD) meters with two companies, Electricity Meter Company of Nigeria (EMCON) plc. and ORTECH Nigeria Limited in order to fast track the implementa�on of Credit Advance Payment for Metering Implementa�on (CAPMI) Programme approved by the Na�onal Electricity Regula�on Commission (NERC). Under the contract agreement EMCON is to provide single and three phase prepaid meters in the southern Business Units to include, Jimeta, Yelwa, Jambutu, and Numan, in Adamawa states; Jalingo and Wukari in Taraba State, on the other hand, ORTECH Nigeria Ltd is to cover Gombi, Mubi, and Michika in the northern part of Adamawa along with Biu, Yerwa and Bulumkutu Business Units in Borno State and Damaturu, Po�skum, and Nguru Business Units in Yobe state. They will also supply and install Maximum Demand (MD) meters for all the Business Units in the zone. The CAPMI programme was introduced by NERC and is

YEDC office, a meter must be provided and installed for the customer within 45 days.The MD/CEO disclosed that, although meter is s�ll free, the introduc�on of the advance payment by NERC is aimed at providing alterna�ve ways for willing customers to get easy access to meters without delay. Customers will be refunded the cost of the meter over a period of �me with 12% interest by removing the fixed charges un�l when the cost of the meter is liquidated. The MD/CEO enumerated some of the advantages of the CAPMI Program to include;

Ø Refund of advance payment with 12% interest

within 3years

Ø Immediate availability of pre-paid and MD

meters

Ø Allow control of electricity usage

Ø Elimina�on of es�mated billing

Ø No profit charge from the cost of meter

Ø Avoidance of threats of disconnec�on for non-

payment of bills

He called on all YEDC customers to embrace

the CAPMI and other metering plans of

the Company.In their response, the meter providers or contractors reiterated their company's readiness to take the challenge and do their part in the obliga�on, disclosing that they have enough meters in stock to meet up demand.

Highlight of the ceremony was the signing of the contract agreement between YEDC and the meter companies at the YEDC conference hall.

expected to be one among the metering plans roll out for all electricity consumers who are willing to manage their electricity usage and avoid es�mated billing.During the signing ceremony, the Managing Director/Chief Execu�ve Officer of Yola Electricity Distribu�on Company, Engr. Jules Alcantara expressed op�mism that the CAPMI and other metering schemes will address the problem of customer metering requirement. He reminded the companies to strictly adhere to the contract agreement stressing that YEDC will not accept failure.

He explained that once a customer made payment for a meter at the designated bank account and informs

ORTECH Representa�ve Mr. Babatope and Jules Alcantara signing the do�ed lines while Victor Risma IV watches on at the contract signing ceremony

JulesAlcantaraandEMCONrepresentativeMr.FrancisAmule

he 29th day of January 2014 is an indelible landmark in the history of Yola Electricity Distribu�on Company. It was Ton this day the YEDC Board of Directors visited the company Zonal Headquarters in Yola, Adamawa state. They were received at the Yola Interna�onal Airport by the MD and the execu�ve management staff and drove to the

YEDC headquarters where staff had assembled outside with excitement to catch a glimpse of the Chairman and the Board members giving them a tumultuous welcome.

In his welcome address Jules Alcantara enjoined the Chairman and the Board Members to be at home and enjoy the kindness of the people of Adamawa popularly known as the Land of Beauty. He further introduced the chairman and his entourage as follows

Chief John Olatunde Ayeni Chairman Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo DirectorDr Olusola Ayandele DirectorDan D. Kunle Independent DirectorAlhaji Aliyu Maigari BPE NomineeMrs Rahila Thomas AF Mercados Consultant

The Managing Director expressed gra�tude to the chairman and the b o a r d M e m b e r s f o r t h e v i s i t recoun�ng that it will go long way to boost the mora le of staff and management alike.

In his remarks, the chairman Chief John Olatunde Ayeni appreciated the resounding welcome accorded the board by the Management and Staff of YEDC sta�ng that Adamawa had been a home to him since early '70s because

he started educa�on in Yola. He observed that government had done their effort in restructuring the power sector and bequeathing it to the investors to play their part assuring that they are commi�ed to do their best to ensure adequate and stable electricity distribu�on in the country par�cularly in the North Eastern region where YEDC operates.There was a li�le performance by the Adamawa Arts Council before the Head of Human Resources and

Logis�cs, Temitope Owoeye gave the vote of thanks, warmly apprecia�ng the chairman and board members for their contribu�ons and wished them safe tr ip back to their var ious des�na�ons.Execu�ve Management later had an indoor mee�ng with the board members that lasted over 3 hours a�er which some of the Board members interacted with staff in their offices before they departed for Abuja in the evening.

TheYEDCBoardofDirectorsduringtheirvisittoYola(TheCahirman,ChiefJohnAyeni,addressingStaff)

he company launched a Slogan and Logo competition on 21 January 2014; it was a call for staff, their families and the Tgeneral public to bring their creativity, imagination and resourcefulness to bear within the confines of originality as we sought a Slogan and Logo that would symbolize Yola Electricity Distribution Company as a brand.The competition ran until 12 March 2014; numerous entries produced by varying philosophies with different twists and shades of colour were submitted. The judges reviewed and selected 3 entries as outstanding and the entrants were rewarded for their contributions.And the winners were….• Ben Agbo NYSC 2013/2014• Isaac Philip Jimeta-Yola• Aminu Bala CS & Marketing, HQ

The decision making process took an interesting turn as the judges also “participated” in the competition. Unleashing their creativity, they “selected” a final logo, which was neither of the successful entries but crafted as a compendium of the 3 entries! For the choice of slogan, the judges went for simplicity and directness selecting a slogan “…electricity for you” which aptly passes the message of our service to our end users. So thanks to the innovation and creativity of the competitors and judges, we present to you the epitome of the YEDC brand….

he dynamics associated with work environments Tare universal: a skilled, knowledgeable workforce that is adap�ve, flexible, abreast with trends as

well as focused on the future is vital to organisa�onal success in today's rapidly evolving workplace. At YEDC, one of our key priori�es is Human Capital Development – a commitment to the overall improvement in the stock of competencies, knowledge, skills and personality a�ributes embodied in the ability of our employees to deliver economic value. To achieve this, we will provide relevant training and opportuni�es for growth, geared towards enabling employees meet both personal and organiza�onal goals at YEDC and beyond.

Career DevelopmentCareer development is the con�nuing acquisi�on or refinement of skills knowledge and a�tudes, including job mastery and professional development, coupled with career planning ac�vi�es. Job mastery skills are those that are necessary to successfully perform one's job while professional development skills on the other hand go beyond the scope of the employee's current job descrip�on, although they may indirectly improve job performance, they are geared towards the future. Therefore, career development is about ge�ng people to where they want to be and to where the organiza�on needs them to be to achieve its strategic goals.

In YEDC, career development is a journey; the company provides the needed support by reviewing and re-

assessing staff performance, goals and objec�ves while providing valuable feedback and learning ac�vi�es or resources to all employees. Also, opportuni�es for promo�on and lateral moves will be provided to boost career sa�sfac�on of staff. One of the guiding principles of career development is providing informa�on about the organiza�on and trends as will facilitate the crea�on of realis�c career development goals which will bring the desired alignment of individual employee aspira�on and organiza�onal objec�ves of YEDC closer to actualiza�on.

Employee Programs:At YEDC, we are concerned about the Health, Safety, Environment and Security of our employees and demonstrate this via corporate wellbeing schemes consis�ng of various health ac�vi�es including health educa�on, medical screening, health coaching, weight management programs, a wellness corner in the company newsle�er and on-site fitness programs such as the upcoming sport fes�val in the month of April 2014 and a commitment to work-life balance. In conclusion, we urge employees to embrace the current transforma�on steer we are going through as a company; we will achieve more working together as a team. Thank you.

Towards a High Performing Workplace at YEDC - Temitope Owoeye

YEDC Slogan and Logo competition

…Electricity for you

YEDC func�ons via opera�onal units known as Business Units (BUs) in both the Southern and Northern areas of YEDC opera�ons many of which further consist of smaller func�onal units, such as Service Centers. This sec�on highlights the achievements of some of our top performing Business Units with par�cular focus on the leaders who have steered them on to success.

H e r b e r t R u f u s H a n awa Business Manager, Jalingo Business Unit

Herbert Hanawa holds a bachelor of Educa�on degree in Mathema�cs from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, an MBA in Marke�ng from University of Maiduguri and is a fellow of the Ins�tute of Professional Managers and Administra�on

of Nigeria. He joined NEPA 16 November 1998 as Officer I Computer and is presently a Senior Manager with YEDC where he func�oned as the Nguru Business Manager un�l February 2014.

Major Achievements Ø Nguru BU won the YEDC top performing Business

Unit award November 2013 – January 2014 under his leadership.

Ø Over 100% cash collec�on performance on target.Ø Improved Customer Response.Ø Network Maintenance and stability Ø Prompt fault clearing

Herbert assumed the role of Business Manager in the high poten�al Jalingo Business Unit effec�ve February as a reward for his achievements at Nguru and has had a posi�ve impact on the cash collec�on which has improved as well as the opera�ons where 2 new service centers have been created bringing our services closer to the customers.

g ra d u ate o f B u s i n e s s AAdministra�on from the Bayero University Kano (BUK), Zainab Hassan joined the defunct NEPA on December 9, 1991. She is currently a Principal Marke�ng Manager with YEDC where she served as Jambutu Business Manager un�l February 2014.

Abba Abubakar Jakada Business Manager, Damaturu Business Unit

Abba Jakada joined the defunct NEPA 28 February 1993. He holds a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree (both) in Economics and is currently a Principal Marke�ng Manager by designa�on with the YEDC and currently serves in the capacity of Business Manager, Damaturu Business Unit.

Damaturu Business Unit

Customer Population 9,570

Prepaid Meter Customers 3,209

Credit Billing Customers 6,224

Maximum Demand Customers

137

Service Centres

Damaturu

Gashua Road

Maiduguri Road

Buni Yadi

Ngelzarma

AchievementsØ Damaturu BU won the first runner up posi�on for

the YEDC top performing Business Unit award November 2013 – January 2014 under his leadership.

Ø Over 90% cash collec�on performance on target.Ø Timely Network Maintenance.Ø Immediate response to customer complaints and

fault clearing.Ø Improved Service delivery

In addi�on to his role as Damaturu Business Manager, Abba now serves as YEDC Commercial Coordinator for the North which gives him responsibility over the Commercial func�on (Customer Services and Marke�ng) in the Northern region of YEDC Opera�ons.

YEDC Anti-vandalism campaign• Vandalism is a severe crime, which can put

neighbourhoods into darkness at times for extended periods.

• Vandalism could result in fire outbreak.• It is important for residents to report any

suspicious movement in the vicinity of their transformers to the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSDC) or YEDC nearest office.

• You will be adversely affected by vandalism on your transformer if you allow it.

Be warned: a stitch in time saves nine!

Name

Previous designation

New Appointment

Zainab Abdala Hassan

Head, Jambutu BU

Head, Jimeta Area, consisting of Jambutu, Yelwa and Jimeta BUs

Mustapha Usman Head, Yelwa BU Head, Commercial Operations Unit, Marketing and Customer Care Department, HQs

Herbert Rufus Hanawa Head, Nguru BU Head, Jalingo BU

Mohammed Babakura Head, Potiskum BU Head, Nguru BU

Shehu Abubakar Garba SM (Mkt) Damaturu Head, Potiskum BU

Sule Abdullahi Amaza Head, Gombi BU Head, Biu BU

Ibrahim Lawan Head, Biu BU Head, Gombi BU

William Adamu Customer Service Officer, Numan Head, Wukari BU

Sani A. Kakangi PM (Mkt), HQs Head, Customer Sales & Marketing Unit, Marketing and Customer Care Department, HQs.

Abubakar Abba Jakada PM (Mkt) / BU Damaturu North Area Coordinator, Commercial

Joseph Olasupo Akinpelu PM (D) Rural Electrification North Area Coordinator, Technical