Miss. Asabe Abdulsallami
[names not real] is a 26 year old graduate of industrial chemistry from one of
the upscale privately run Universities owned by one of the very flourishing
Pentecostal Churches. She recently graduated in flying colors and served
in one of the most high profile federal government agencies and upon
completion of her compulsory one year national service with the National Youth
service Corp [NYSC] she was retained on merit as a full time staff even as
she is now staying in a two -bed room apartment in Maitama after her very
successful industrialist father rented the highly expensive accommodation for
her.
Although surrounded by
opulence, the beautiful Miss. Asabe has a big problem staring her in
her innocent eyes since she still has a major infrastructural
crisis in her residence to contend with which has to do with the general
situation of epileptic electricity power supply, a problem that afflicts all
segments of the society but severely faced by the very poor who reside in
the many derelict and grossly under-developed rural areas across the
country.
One day this writer
engaged her in a meaningful dialogue regarding the state of poor
electricity supply and she lamented that although she has seen little
improvement in the supply of electricity in Abuja but the issue of exorbitant
tariff charged for this services by the Distribution Services Companies known
now in the common parlance of DISCO has become a fundamental burden to the
generality of Nigerians.
She is of the opinion which
most Nigerians share that it will be more logical for the nation's policy
makers to improve the quality and scope of distribution of electricity power in
all parts of the Country before playing around with the idea of increasing the
tariff charged. Asabe told me in philosophical terms that the
argument by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission [NERC] that
increasing the tariff to be charged for electricity supply is key to
attracting the much needed foreign investments in the electricity sector
amounted to 'putting the cart before the horse' or to similarly argue that 'the
egg comes before the chicken'.
I have therefore decided
to intervene in this raging debate to present all sides of the arguments for
purposes of clarity and for Nigerians to decide what is best for us as a nation
that has perpetually remained in total electricity darkness while other nations
even in Africa [South Africa] have gone far.
The Chairman of NERC,
the urbane and US -trained lawyer Dr. Sam Amadi has demonstrated more than
enough evidence as one public officer who is constantly on the side of the
people and who believes that only the best decisions that serve the public
interest should be implemented.
In the next couple of
weeks I will dedicate my column to this debate. I am aware that the Nigerian
Electricity Regulatory Commission – NERC has issued a 14-day ultimatum to
electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) that are in violation of its Order
to submit a list of all customers who paid for meters since January 2011, and
commence metering them with immediate effect.
“Any DISCO that does not comply with this new directive will be
barred from collecting the new electricity tariff”, Chairman/CEO NERC - Dr. Sam
Amadi says.
In a letter dated 19th July, the Commission
expressed its utter dismay that all DISCOs have been in complete violation of
the order as it relates to customers who have made payments within the given
time frame, and have not been identified for immediate metering.
“NERC views this conduct as totally unresponsive, and undermining
the effort of the reform”.
Recall that NERC had earlier in the year issued an Order on CAPMI
– Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation. CAPMI was a response by
the regulator to address the lingering issue of non-issuance of meters by the
electricity companies. CAPMI allows for any interested and willing customer to
advance money to their electricity distribution company and in return will be
given electricity credit until the cost of the meter has been recovered by the
customer.
The CAPMI Order, amongst other things, stipulated that all
distribution companies forward to NERC data of all customers who paid for
meters but had not been supplied.
It can be recalled that in 2011, a N2.9billion metering intervention
fund was made available to the companies with a view to closing the
unacceptable metering gap. One year after, no appreciable progress was made by
the companies, and this compelled NERC to demand for performance reports from
the DISCOs. Eight of the twelve DISCOs submitted reports that fell far short of
the requirements of NERC. The rest did not submit any report of how they spent
the money.
Even the most hardened opponent of this government will agree that
NERC has started a radical revolution that is unprecedented in the political
annals of Nigeria.
The DISCOs were further warned that failure to comply with the
14-day ultimatum would also compel the Commission to institute enforcement
procedures that may result in the removal of a Chief Executive Officer of an
electricity distribution company.
This is indeed cheering to the public ear.
* Emmanuel Onwubiko writes from Human Rights Writers
Association of Nigeria; Abuja. http://www.huriwa.blogspot.com/; http://www.huriwa.org/.
13/8/2013
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