Power sector can bail out Nigeria from recession – legislator

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Power, Mr Daniel Asuquo has said that a viable and purpose-driven power sector is capable of bailing out Nigeria from the current recession afflicting it.

Asuquo spoke on the sideline during a public forum session with the customers of Eko Electricity Distribution Company in Lagos on Sunday.

He explained that if the country gets the power sector right there would be inflow of investment and more job opportunities which would boost Nigeria’s industrialisation.

The legislature said his committee is committed to ensure that the power sector is well run through application of relevant legislation and intervention that would ensure that Nigerians derive appropriate benefits from the privatization of the sector.

He said the government has given a renewed commitment to the power sector through appreciable expenditure provided in the 2017 budget proposal.

Asuquo said that the lawmakers would partner with the executive arm of government to ensure that things improved in the sector next year.

He charged power distribution companies in the country to play by the rules of the Power Privatization Act of 2005, even as he implored customers to cooperate with service providers to improve the nation’s power sector.

Speaking, the Managing Director of Eko Electricity Company, Mr Oladele Amoda,said his company is desirous of giving its best to the customers with a view to satisfying them and providing value addition services.

Amoda said the company has acquired and commenced installation of over 138 transformers worth N700 million to replaced all faulty ones within its network to boost supply during festive period.

He said that the company’s directors source for fund to acquire equipments that would improve the electricity supply within its network to teaming customers during the yuletide season.

According to him, the company is always thinking of how to satisfy its customers. The purchase of the new transformers is to ensure that our customers enjoy the yuletide season with quality supply.

“We have embarked on massive replacement of faulty transformers within the network, we expected customers to reciprocate this gesture by paying their bills.

“We also except communities who will benefit from the transformers not to see them as public property but as their own so that they can help us safeguard the transformers against vandalism by unscrupulous elements,’ Amoda said.

The EKEDC boss said that the company had loss over N1 billion to various forms of energy theft and equipments vandalism in the last three years.

He said that issue of bye-passing of meter by customers was rampant within the network to avoid payment.

He said that EKEDC cannot continue to invest huge sum of money into network improvement and some people will be allowed to vandalised such equipments.

Amoda warned customers who are in habit of bye-passing meter or involving in any various energy thefts to desist, adding that the company will not hesitate to prosecute and publish names culprits in the dailies.

He advised customers with wrong connection leading to energy theft to report to the company before they are discovered and penalised.

He said that the company had invested over N13 billion on meters, adding that the company has also commenced installation of over 200,000 free pre-paid meters to various customers within its network at no cost.

According to him, we have just signed a partnership agreement with a global brand, Huawei of China and Mojec International meter manufacturer and this, we believe, will impact our service.

“We have commenced a bill reconciliation and verification exercise tagged  “Eko Customer Account Reconciliation Exercise’’ this is a way of repackaging energy audit to give it a caring face.

Amoda urged customers who had pay for meter under the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) scheme and yet to be metered to bring their documents for immediate meter installation.

He said that gas been a serious challenges to generating companies, adding that the EKEDC only received 200 megawatts from the national grid instead of 1,300 megawatts due to gas constraints.

Amoda further disclosed that the EKEDC had an existing bilateral agreement with Paras Energy and Natural Resources Development Limited, Paras Energy, for the supply of 40MW.

He said that the DISCO’s goal was to provide at least 1200MW stable supply to its customers within its network by the end of 2018.