Report any DISCO asking you to buy transformers, NERC tells electricity consumers

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By Madu Obi

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has urged electricity consumers in Anambra State to report any official of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, asking them to buy or pay for transformers, cables or poles, to the commission for prompt action.

Addressing electricity consumers from all parts of Anambra State during a town hall meeting in Awka, the NERC Commissioner in charge of Stakeholders Management, Hajiya Aisha Mohammed, informed the consumers that the report must be documented so that it could be traced.

Mohammed, who was represented by the Head, Consumer Protection in NERC, Dr. Zubairu Babatunde, said that there should be no coercion on any consumer to purchase such materials because they are investments of the Distribution Company.

He said: "NERC oversees the entire electricity supply in the country and regulates the operations of DISCOS. We also ensure that customers are not short- changed and that customers, on the other hand, do what they are legally permitted to do in terms of electricity consumption.

If they are not satisfied with the services provided by DISCOS, they should use the appropriate channel to complain.

We also ensure that all issues concerning supply of electricity are resolved in line with the provisions of the law. The Commission has been moving from one state to the other to talk to the consumers in the presence of the DISCOS, to see how their services are received by the people, and resolve operational deficiencies.

Essentially, we are here to listen to your complaints and for officials of EEDC to respond to those issues."

During the meeting, such issues as metering, billing, corruption in the system, regularity of supply, among others, were exhaustively discussed, while NERC officials who would be in the state for three days, were supervising the process of meter acquisition on the spot.

During the period, consumers who needed prepaid meters were assured that they would get them within the three days NERC officials would be in Anambra State.

The Chief Information Officer of EEDC, Dr Idika Okechukwu, who represented the company's Managing Director, said that meter laboratory has been established in Onitsha, assuring that henceforth, any consumer who pays for meter would have it installed within 72hours.

He, however, observed that most buildings in Anambra State are not properly earthed due to the use of unqualified people in wiring houses.

He said that of the 1,365,400 electricity consumers in Anambra State, 750,000 have been metered, adding that EEDC has no choice than to comply with NERC regulation on metering.

He also explained that by the end of this month, EEDC will have offline bill payment system, noting that it would no longer be necessary for customers to be going to EEDC offices for payments.