KEDCo management, stakeholders brainstorm on tariff review

Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCo), yesterday, organised a public consultation meeting with stakeholders in Kano state view to have their inputs on the planned extra-ordinary tariff review. The meeting was to look at the government planned phasing-out from its intervention in terms of subsidy to customers by 2021, during which customers would pay 100 per […]

Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCo), yesterday, organised a public consultation meeting with stakeholders in Kano state view to have their inputs on the planned extra-ordinary tariff review.

The meeting was to look at the government planned phasing-out from its intervention in terms of subsidy to customers by 2021, during which customers would pay 100 per cent of their energy consumption.

The meeting which took place at Ni’imah Guest Palace, Kano, was attended by many stakeholders from across Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.

Addressing the gathering, the KEDCo Senior Manager, Strategy Department, Dr Mamudu Abubakar, said the Federal Government wanted to bring about improvements in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry through various policy initiatives that will ensure improved supply of electricity to Nigerians.

“In 2017, the Federal Government of Nigeria therefore, initiated the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP) with the support of the World Bank Group, under which Discos, Gencos, TCN, and the Federal Government are all required to do their best to ensure the success of the electricity industry,” he said.

The manager added that among other obligations, Discos are required to prepare a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) that will ensure their improved performance is going forward.

He said KEDCo had submitted its draft PIP to NERC in November 2019, and final PIP and request for an extraordinary tariff review of KEDCo was submitted to NERC on 20th January, 2020.

He added that NERC published KEDCo’s PIP and extraordinary tariff review request on its website on 6th February, 2020.

“Taking into account the PIPs of all Discos and their requests for an extraordinary tariff review, NERC has issued a consultation paper which shows its response to the requests it received from Discos for an extraordinary tariff review.

“This consultation process is therefore based on NERC’s consultation paper on the Extraordinary Tariff Review which was published on NERC’s website on 13th February, 2020,” he said.

Shortly after Dr Abubakar’s presentation, stakeholders were allowed to comment on the matter at hand in order to be carried along in the decision making regarding the tariff review.

In his contribution, the District Head of Gwale, Dan Majen Kano, called on citizens to be honest in their daily dealings, including paying the due amount of money for their energy consumption.

He said countries like Ruwanda, Ghana, and other African countries that are not as economically viable as Nigeria, have since gone beyond the electricity supply problem because their citizens discharge their civil obligation by paying for what they consume.

He, however, said there are insinuations that most government establishments do not pay for their electricity consumption, saying if that was the case, people in authority should lead by example in settling their power consumption bills as that will lessen the problem and also motivate their followers to follow suit.

He called on the citizens to be law-abiding and patriotic, while calling on DisCos to ensure they provide meters as that would go a long way in addressing the problem.

Also speaking, Engr Mustapha Gunduwawa stresses the need for metering and effective monitoring of the meters on the part of the DisCo, saying that could solve over 65 per cent of the problem.

He decried uneven distribution of power among even the same class of customers, as some enjoy power supply for many hours while others have it for only a few hours, while they were both charged the same amount at the end of the month.

He then called for the downward review of the prices of the meter so that the customers would afford them, saying there was the need for the KEDCo to look inwards and understand the dynamics of their problems with the view to coming up with practical solutions without pushing the burden on the customers.

According to him, “Government also needs to review some of its policies and see how they could assist the people as their primary objective is to serve the people’’.

Another participant accused some KEDCo officials of complicity in by-passing the meter for their illicit gain.

In his response, the Public Relations Officer of KEDCo, Ibrahim Sani Shawai, said the company was aware of some bag eggs amongst the staff and that was why they initiated the whistle-blowing policy, adding that anyone who exposed such bag eggs would be paid accordingly.

A University Don, Professor Haruna Musa, in his contribution, suggested that the issue of upward review of tariff should be suspended, saying the review will aggravate the already hard situation in terms of business activities in the Kano distribution area.

He advised KEDCo that the company should lay emphasis on devising means of addressing their technical and commercial challenges to ensure efficiency in their operation.

In his closing remarks, a staff of KEDCo, AlhajiAbubakar Yusuf, said the essence of the meeting was to see how to improve power supply in the country which, he said, was a collective responsibility of both providers and consumers.

He said that all the inputs offered by the stakeholders will be documented and forwarded to the management for their perusal.

“The management of the company is according priority to any advice given by its customers. The management is always ready to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient power supply in the country,” he said.