FCCPC Tasks Discos on Transparent Execution of Community Electricity Investments

***• IKEDC: We have achieved 85% metering of customers, call for end to equipment vandalisation ***

•CDC Leader: Electricity supply has improved a bit

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Competition (FCCPC) has tasked electricity distribution companies (Discos) to be transparent in executing investments by consumers and communities in electricity distribution infrastructures within their respective coverage areas.

The FCCPC gave this task yesterday in Lagos State during the “FCCPC on-the-spot Electricity Consumer Complaints Resolution Town Hall, Lagos” with the theme: “Fair Billing, Reliable Service, Speedy Redress: Putting the Electricity Consumer First.”

The town hall was held at Ikorodu, Lagos State.

A Deputy Director of FCCPC, Mrs. Omagu Nwachukwu, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, during the town hall, said there was a law surrounding the execution of investment by consumers and communities in electricity distribution infrastructure.

Nwachukwu explained: “We are here so that we can iron out the creases and make it smooth by fine-tuning the process so that people can benefit from the laws that have been put in place for them.

“We will intervene and ensure that this law is made practicable so that consumers can transparently put in their money into electricity transformer and enjoy the value of their investment.

“You know that every good business is founded on ethics. If there is no ethics, we will keep having these issues.”

Bello, in his welcome remark, said that the electricity sector has consistently ranked among the leading sources of complaints received by the FCCPC, adding that “across the Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) and Eko Electricity franchise areas, consumers continue to raise the same concerns: estimated and arbitrary billing, delays in metering, disputed bills, disconnections without due process, delayed reconnection, and poor service quality.

“These are not new complaints. What must be new is our response.”

He added that consumers should know their rights and use them.

“You have the right to be metered. You have the right to a bill that reflects what you actually consumed. You have the right to be informed before disconnection and to be treated with courtesy and fairness.

“And when your complaint is not resolved, you have the right to escalate it, and the FCCPC is one door you can always knock on.

He also said rights come with responsibilities and urged them to pay for the energy they have consumed, adding: “Do not bypass meters or engage in illegal connections. Protect the installations in your community, because vandalism punishes all of us.

“And when you complain, come with your facts, your bills, and your account details, so that we can help you faster. A responsible consumer is a powerful consumer.”

The Chief Commercial Officer of IKEDC, Mr. Ayodele Dosumu, assured consumers that the future is bright because Ikeja Electric has done sizeable investments in its coverage area to improve electricity supply. Dosumu however, appealed against vandalisation of equipment.

He said: “We are really committed to satisfying our customers because our creed is to deliver safe, reliable, and responsible energy wherever we serve.

In furtherance of this, “we have done quite a number of investments within our franchise area.

“However, we are having a lot of issues around our investments and this is a big point for the investors, for our principals.

“We spent a lot of money in hundreds of millions of Naira to replace assets that were vandalised.

“When vandals go and damage our equipment, it affects us, it affects our customers as well. And it takes time to replace those things and then it costs money.”

The Head, Regulatory and Corporate Governance, IKEDC, Mr. Ayodeji Ajayi, said the Disco has metered 85 per cent of its customers and assured customers who invested in a distribution network that they would recoup their investments through energy credit as long as there is a project agreement with the DISCO.

Speaking during the town hall, the Chairman, Community Development Committee, Ikorodu North, Mr. Adeniran Ogunbanwo, said the CDC has an agreement with IKEDC on free supply of prepaid meters.

Ogunbanwo, who is also the 2nd Vice Chairman of Lagos State Community Advisory Council, tasked IKEDC on the statistics of the number of transformers that were taken away for replacement and the actual number that have been replaced.

He added: “As we complain, we must also have a word of appreciation. Energy has improved.”