By Samuel Oyejola
In spite public outcry on what Nigerians regard as arbitrary billing arising from estimated electricity metering, the Managing Director of Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Funke Osibodu said estimated billing remains effective billing system in Nigeria.
She said the billing is a standard operational process and an in “indicative tool for billing and revenue collection in absence of prepaid meter.”
She said this on Monday at a Townhall meeting on Power Supply and the Nigerian Consumer organised by MacArthur Foundation and the Shehu Musa Foundation.
Osibodu challenged Nigerians to imbibe the habit of self governance in electricity consumption. She observed that the current value system in the country is the dearth of the power sector. “We need to change our value system; it is part of what is killing our power sector.”
She explained that metering about 4 million customers will gulp N229 billion, yet, regulations in the electricity sector restrict DISCOS’s spending.
Driving home her point on estimated billing, the BEDC MD was quick to point out that metering all customers with prepaid meters will be gradual even if the government lifts restrictions on DISCOS’s investment in metering.
She explained that it will take 5 years to achieve universal metering of all customers in the country.
While applauding the Metering Asset Provider (MAP) initiative of the government through the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Council NERC, she advised that adequate security provision should be made for gas producers, while also ensure that fuel supply is uninterrupted.
She warned that Foreign Direct Investments will generally elude Nigeria due to perception of inefficiency in infrastructure development.
Observing that 50% of Nigerians have no access to power supply, she said all stakeholders must work in synergy to improve power supply in the country.
The Director General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Babatunde Irukera, who was a panelist at the townhall meeting, advised stakeholders in the power sector to adopt quick response mechanism to consumers’ complaints.
He said the CPC receives more complaints from Nigerians on the sector than any other sector.
On his part, the Dr. Ahmad Isah, who also spoke at the meeting asserted that government is not sincere about the development of the power sector. He explained that the dearth and inefficiency in the sector will continue until government ensures that right persons are appointed to take leadership position in the sector.
He observed that the sector has been bedeviled by age-long corruption. According to the broadcaster, in spite the anti-corruption posture of the present administration, he said that the present government is also enmeshed in corruption in the sector.
Earlier in his welcome address at the event, the Director of Public Policy Initiative of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adu Foundation, Amara Nwankpa observed that almost all the electricity distributed across the country is lost to illegal connection and wasteful consumption.
According to the Nwankpa, the townhall meeting is a platform to connect consumers and other stakeholders to proffer workable solution to ineffective power supply in the country.