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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has chided power distribution companies in Nigeria for entrenching lack of transparency in their dealings with customers.
FCCPC Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Babatunde Irukera stated this at the commission’s Electricity Consumer Complaint Resolution Platform for Eko and Ikeja Electricity DisCos supported by MacArthur Foundation.
He stated that the immediate challenge of the DisCos is not about inadequate supply to consumers but the lack of transparency in their day-to-day dealings with customers.
According to him,unmetered customers have a right to withhold payment of disputed bills and pay only the last agreed bill pending resolution by the DisCo or Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
He warned that a situation where consumers are made to pay above their consumption would be resisted, saying the agency has been inundated with complaints from electricity consumers across the country.
He lamented the huge level of complaints emanating from the power sector, saying of all the sectors regulated by FCCPC, complaints about Discos’ activities topped the list.
He implored the power distribution companies to improve on service delivery, including the turnaround time for complaints resolution, stressing that when complaints are left unresolved for a longer period, the tendency for a customer to get agitated is almost certain.
“It is worrisome that the majority of the issues we attend to are from the power sector. That tells you that something is fundamentally wrong somewhere. And not until the root cause of the issue is addressed, we may not get out of the woods.If I may ask, why should it be the FCCPC that would bring both consumers and DisCos together in a bid to resolve issues? This should not be the norm. DisCos on their own should regularly engage consumers in a bid to address their complaints.
In his remarks,the Deputy General Manager, Consumer Services, NERC, Shittu Shaibu, said that the Federal Government its best to ensure that issues around estimated billings are resolved once and for all.
He said this informed its intervention through the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) sponsored by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which targets to meter six million customers over the next 18-36 months across the country.
He said consumers should ensure to demand their right, saying a customer who has been wrongly or illegally disconnected is meant to be compensated by the DisCos for the number of days such disconnection is in force.
He explained that the NERC forum offices have been established in the 36 States of the country to address various consumer breaches, which infringe on their rights.
The Head Consumer Service Department at Eko Electricity Distribution Company Mrs Iyiola Ezichi,maintained that prepaid meter remained the solution to some of the challenges.
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