Constant Electricity: Waiting in vain

As elections approach and presidential candidates make all sorts of promises which they have neither the intention nor capacity to fulfil, Nigerians can rest assured that they will once again be promised an end to epileptic power supply. The power sector’s inability to supply adequate electricity to domestic and industrial consumers continues to hamper the […]

As elections approach and presidential candidates make all sorts of promises which they have neither the intention nor capacity to fulfil, Nigerians can rest assured that they will once again be promised an end to epileptic power supply. The power sector’s inability to supply adequate electricity to domestic and industrial consumers continues to hamper the nation’s economic growth by crippling the agricultural, industrial and mining sectors. The vast majority of citizens who experience more darkness than light, are taken aback to hear top government officials declare that Nigerians no longer suffer from blackouts and no longer use generators. It beggars belief that they don’t know that profiteering electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) have become complacent and exhibit sheer disregard for suffering of ordinary citizens.

There is a school of thought which believes that access to electricity is a fundamental human right covered by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Article 25(1). This Article states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living for the health and well-being of himself and of his family including food, clothing, housing and medical care…” There are others who believe that electricity isn’t and cannot be a right, because the Bill of Rights was not written under electric lighting! They believe that electricity is a commodity which isn’t free and must be purchased. They claim that it’s a privilege of access to modern technology. Whatever the case whether a right or a privilege, it’s well established that electricity is essential to survival in the modern world.

Since 2005 the Federal Government’s misguided and inconsistent reforms in the power sector have focused on privatising the generation and distribution of electricity while leaving the transmission aspect under government control. This has done nothing to improve the supply situation. The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) is demanding for an immediate review of the performance of all DISCOs, arguing that since they took over privatised electricity assets their performances have been abysmal, and Nigerians should not have to bear the pains of their inefficiency by paying outrageous estimated bills. A public hearing on estimated billing in June 2018 concluded that it is immoral and illegal in a service industry to charge consumers for a service that wasn’t rendered. But nothing has changed since then.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) claims that electricity consumers’ refuse to pay bills because of poor supply and estimated billing. This they say has led to a lack of financial liquidity in the industry. They claim that out of the N171.1 Billion DISCOs billed to customers in the first quarter of 2018, only N106,6 Billion was received. As a result, DISCO’s could not meet up their financial obligations to the transmission company. Worse still, the total bills for international customers who are connected to the grid and have a commercial relationship with NBET (managers of the power sale agreement between Nigeria, Togo and Niger Republic) stood at N12.2 Billion, but no payment was received. In spite of the poor services rendered by DISCOs the Director-General Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) declared that nothing can be done about it. He described the Benin Electricity Distribution company (BEDC) as one the best managed DISCOs even though its customers from Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo States recently gathered at the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing in Abuja to protest their awful services.

In Sapele groups of men in native doctor’s attire stormed the local government secretariat to protest against BEDC claiming that since their takeover of NEPA operations services have got worse. According to the protesters DISCOs have a well-earned reputation for deliberately not supplying meters, sending exorbitant estimated bills, molesting consumers with military personnel, refusing to connect communities to the national grid, non-provision of poles, transformers and other ancillaries, and the creation of special electricity lines for certain individuals and institutions. BEDC Managing Director Mrs Funke Osibudu claims that their inefficiency is as a result of the cost of meters, and energy theft. She also blames the failure of the transmission company of Nigeria to fix some of its faulty transformers in Effurun, Okene, and Benin.

The Secretary general of the Electricity Workers Union claims that DISCOs have been due for final performance review since October 31st (being the 5th year of their take-over of power assets), and have continued to operate illegally with flagrant disregard for the Power Privatisation Act. As far as NERC are concerned DISCOs have an existing 15years license broken down into 10 years plus five years, with another 10-year renewal option at the end of the 15 years. Citizens who are experiencing almost perpetual darkness and eagerly awaiting the time when DISCO licenses will be revoked, and those who are waiting for elected politicians to solve the problem are apparently waiting in vain.