Will NERC bite this time? By Yemi Adebowale

Early this week, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) launched its service charter in conjunction with Service Compact with All Nigerians (SERVICOM), mandating electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) to fix certain faults within 24 hours of notification by customers. In the deed, when notified of a fault leading to loss of electricity, Discos must visit the premises within 24 hours to determine the cause and rectify it.

The industry regulator stated that if such outage was caused by a bad fuse, it must be replaced and reconnected within 24 hours, same for other minor equipment faults. Whenever a customer makes a request to a Disco for a new or additional connection to their premises, after filling ‘form 74’, the Disco, NERC maintained, shall take measures to fix the meter and connect the power supply within 10 working days of receiving the request.

Furthermore, where a customer reports a problem to a Disco that would suggest that the cause of the problem is the electricity meter recording incorrectly, the industry regulator pointed out that a visit must be scheduled within three days. According to the charter, the consumer also has rights to electricity supply in a safe and reliable manner, right to a properly installed and functional meter and right to be properly informed and educated on the electricity service being offered.

The replacement of infrastructural items like transformers, poles and other electrical equipment are now strictly the responsibility of Discos and customers are not expected to pay for them.
This charter is no doubt a bold move by NERC to tackle the shameless thumping of electricity consumers in Nigeria by Discos.

The responsibilities assigned to the Discos in the Charter are not new. These are roles they have consistently snubbed for years. The shylock guys running the Discos must be laughing at NERC. I can confidently say that they won’t respect this charter. So, who will punish them if they, as usual, rebuff this charter? Is the Sanusi Garba-led NERC ready to bite the recalcitrant Discos this time around? I doubt it. NERC has a history of incompetence when it comes to enforcement. This agency has never been there for electricity consumers in Nigeria. This is why traumatised electricity consumers have nowhere to run to when services fail. I’m not sorry to say that NERC, as constituted today, is a toothless bulldog. I’m waiting to see if the Chairman of NERC, Sanusi Garba and his men will prove me wrong with this charter.

Source: First published in Thisday