Reps moves to abolish anti-consumer practices by PHCN

The House of Representatives on Tuesday directed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to halt the implementation of the compulsory bulk metering of villages and communities in rural Nigeria.

The lawmakers also urged the Commission to immediate ensure the abolition of the fixed charges collected from consumers of electricity across the country by DISCOs.

While ruling, Speaker Yakubu Dogara disclosed that the House will constitute an Ad-hoc Committee that will ensure the implementation of the resolution.

Dogara also noted that some of the issues raised in the motion will form part of the amendment to the NERC Act, as canvassed by some members.

The resolution was passed after the passage of the motion sponsored by Philip Shuaibu (APC-Edo), who decried the poor service delivery despite hike in the tariff imposed on Nigerian consumers by the operators.

The lawmaker who noted that the DISCOs have fallen short of standards and regulation established by NERC and global best practices in the discharge of its contractual obligation to the Nigerians, stressed the need for the intervention of the House.

He also tasked NERC to ensure that all the DISCOs give consumers an advance monthly schedule of distribution of electricity that would include the precise time and duration of availability of electricity to enable consumers plan their affairs until 24 hours electricity supply is guaranteed.

While stressing the need for consumer to exercise its right to be part of bulk metering scheme or not, Shuaibu urged the Commission to embark on sensitisation of electricity consumers on the remedies available to them in the event of inefficient services by the distribution companies.

Shuaibu further called on the Commission to break the monopoly of the DISCOs by putting in place Electricity Distribution Open Access Regulation, thereby creating an opportunity for consumers to have the right to choose the company to supply their electric power.

He explained that the current Distribution Companies should be mandated to allow new DISCOs access at a regulated fee per maintenance to poles and wires connected to premises and all other electricity distribution assets of the primary DISCOs.

Shuaibu called on the NERC to make a regulation to mandate the DISCOs to discontinue the practice of making consumers pay for meters, poles and transformers which according to him was by law properties of the DISCOs, noting that where the consumers purchase those items, they should give notice of the purchase to the DISCOs and should be entitled to recover their expenses from subsequent consumption of electricity.

The House also urged NERC to ensure that consumers are granted the right to have meters tested for accuracy upon payment of necessary fees to the DISCOs or at any other independent facility approved for that purpose by NERC and to receive the report of the test within eight weeks so as to eliminate the issue of inaccurate billings.

KEHINDE AKINTOLA

Nigeria's leading finance and market intelligence news report. Also home to expert opinion and commentary on politics, sports, lifestyle, and more