TheCable

The house of representatives on Tuesday asked the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to prevail on distribution companies to stop the estimated billing of electricity consumers across the country.

The directive followed the adoption of a motion by Afuape Moruf, a member representing Abeokuta south federal constituency of Ogun state.

In his motion, Moruf called on the regulator to address challenges faced by electricity consumers.

He argued that the 11 DisCos across the country have persisted in providing consumers with abysmal poor services, contrary to the Electricity Act of 2023.

The lawmaker described as worrisome the fact that consumers pay for their meters, cables, and transformers, yet they are “disconnected at will by DisCos”.

“The distribution companies raked in a whopping N247.33 billion in the first quarter of 2023 as against N232.32 billion generated in the fourth quarter of 2022, representing a rise by 20.81 percent compared to N204.74 billion generated in the first quarter of 2022 (year-on-year consideration),” he said.

“Whereas electricity supply declined from 5,956 (Gwh) in the first quarter of 2022 to 5,852 (Gwh) the first quarter of 2023 (year-on-year consideration), despite the increase in earnings; the distribution companies have demonstrated unfaithfulness toward the social contract with Nigerians, as enshrined and enhanced by the transitional effect of the Electric Power Reform Act, 2005 to the Electricity Act, 2023.

“NERC has watched helplessly while communities, individuals, and corporate organisations assumed the responsibilities of providing electricity transmission facilities (meters, cables, and transformers) where they are either not available or repaired, where the same are faulty.”

Moruf noted that the commission can act within the ambit of its own created service charter that outlines consumer rights, obligations, expected service levels, and redresses applicable to the DisCos.

“While NERC watches the DisCos abdicate their responsibilities to communities, individuals, corporate bodies, and public institutions; no compensation mechanism has been evolved to ensure either an outright refund of these third-party investments in the distribution network or a possible conversion of same to electricity credits for the use of these ‘investors,” he said.

Consequently, the house urged NERC to sanction the DisCos for their “poor supply of power to consumers”.

The green chamber also directed the commission to devise a means of working out compensation packages for individuals, communities, private, and public entities for the investment in the distribution network.

Furthermore, the house charged its committee on power (when constituted) to interface with NERC and the DisCos in addressing all issues which make effective distribution of power difficult in the country.