Power outage: We have recovered National Grid – Power Minister

 

 

. Reps grill NERC Chairman, Commissioner, demand detailed payment from agency since 2015

 

JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja

 

The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, has said the national grid, which collapsed a few days ago, has now been recovered.

 

He disclosed this on Wednesday during a briefing after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

 

Aliyu said several resolutions have emerged from a series of emergency meetings held by the power ministry, where all stakeholders have extensively discussed the issues and resolved all bickering.

 

The Minister, who likened Nigeria’s power challenge to a war situation, further maintained that the country generates up to 8,000 MW.

 

According to Aliyu, the shortage of gas and maintenance of generators, the fuel situation (which he argued has been addressed by the NNPC), all combined to exacerbate the problem with the national grid.

 

The Power Minister equally affirmed that the Federal Executive Council has approved  N5 billion to open up and expand Lagos/Ogun to reinforce power supply to that region.

 

Meanwhile, the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has received 156, 434 customer complaints from 2020 to date, according to its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Funke Osibodu.

 

Osibodu said this during the Consumer Complaints resolution meeting organised by Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) on Wednesday, in Benin.

 

She said that out of the number, 154,539 had been successfully resolved, urging customers to channel their complaints through proper BEDC channels.

 

The Managing Director reiterated the company’s commitment to staff training, describing BEDC as one of the best DisCos in that area.

 

” We are one of the highest performing DisCos. In 2019, we trained about 5, 421 staff; in 2020, the figure went down to 2, 233 due to COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, we trained 5, 414,” she said.

 

Meanwhile, at the event, the NERC said that no fewer than 622,429 customers had been metered in the BEDC coverage areas as at December 2021.

 

The Commissioner, Consumer Affairs of the Nigeria Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC), Mrs Aisha Mahmud said the meters were installed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) and the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

 

She noted that the figure represented 38 per cent of the 1,645,337 consumers in BEDC coverage areas of Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti.

 

Mahmud said that the commission developed the MAP and NMMP to effectively close the metering gap, enhance revenue assurance, eliminate estimated billing and attract private investment in metering.

 

She also said that the non-availability of gas was a major reason for the epileptic power supply in the country.

 

“About 5,500 megawatt of electricity is available, out of which about 3,800 is billed and paid for by consumers.

 

“The figures by DisCos revealed that at least four out of every 10 prepaid meters installed were either bypassed or tampered with by customers and it has adversely affected the financial viability of the sector.

 

“National Assembly is considering a request from NERC to criminalise the rising cases of illegal connection and meter by-pass among others,” she said.

 

According to her, the mandate of NERC is to protect the interest of the public as well as to educate them on their rights and obligations and to take and resolve complaints.

 

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts on Wednesday grilled the Chairman Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC Engr Sanusi Garba and the Executive Commissioner in charge of Finance Mr Nathan Shatti over the non-remittance of operating surplus of the agency to the Rural Electrification Agency REA.

 

Chairman of the House Committee Hon.Oluwole Oke who grilled the NERC Chief Executive and other officials had demanded that the provision of the law on the payment of operating surplus by Ministries, Departments and agencies MDAs of government be complied with by these organisations forthwith

 

He noted that the  Rural Electrification Agency REA is one of the key government agencies established by government under the Electricity Reform Act passed by the National Assembly and enjoined the agency to maximise it’s potentials for national development in power sector.

 

He further stated that the provision of the law is clear that the agency as a regulator of the government agencies and power distribution companies should pay its operating surplus to the government agency in charge of power at the rural areas

 

Responding to the queries raised by the representative of the Auditor- General of the Federation AuGF Mr Godfrey Nwankwo  the on the report of the AuGF to the committee, the NERC Chief Executive said that the agency has paid up all its outstanding operating surplus to the Rural Electrification Agency REA

 

He further told the committee that the idea of payment of operating surplus to the government is to improve access to electricity in the rural areas by agencies of government.

 

He added that the regulator of the electricity industry in Nigeria has paid N1.340 million naira as operating surplus to the coffers of the REA adding that in 2012 a whopping N4billion was paid to the coffers of government.

 

But the House Committee Chairman Hon Oke not satisfied with the explanation from the NERC chief executive and other officials demanded that the Rural Electrification Agency provide the Committee with details of payment of operating surplus by NERC from 2015-till date

 

While ruling on the matter, he said that the Clerk of the Committee should write to the agency demanding details of the payment of operating surplus by the NERC from 2015 till date