Association for Public Policy Analysis, a civil society group, has appealed to the Federal Government to implement the “Eligible Customer Regulation” to ensure constant electricity supply.
Mr Princewill Okorie, National President, Association for Public Policy Analysis made the appeal in Abuja on Monday.
The Eligible Customer regulation permits Electricity Generation Companies (GenCos) to sell electricity directly to Customers” whose consumption is more than two megawatts/hour over the course of one month.
The customer must be connected to a metered 11 or 33 Kilo Volt delivery point on the distribution network.
According to Okorie, if power is made available for all, consumers’ eligible customers’ regulation needs to be approved.
”Under Babatunde Fashola as Minister of Power, eligible customer regulation was approved and this entails that those that use more than two megawatts of electricity can buy power directly from the generation companies,” he said.
Okorie said that the quantity of energy generated by power generation companies needs to be wheeled to consumers.
He said that in a situation where Gencos generate 12,000 megawatts and what is distributed is only 3,000 megawatts how many households will that get to.
According to him, there is the need for entrepreneurs to have power to run their businesses so they don’t have to rely on fuel and diesel.
”In most shopping plazas, you find a lot of generators working at the same time.
” If the management of such plazas are given the opportunity to buy power directly from the Gencos, power will be enough for people to operate their businesses.
”So government has to look into the issue of eligible customers, so that Gencos will not be losing money when they generate power and electricity will be available to all,” he said.
Speaking on estimated billing, Okorie said that it would continue, adding that not all consumers could buy single phase or the two phase meter.
He said that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had estimated billing methodology.
According to him, this entails that before giving an estimated bill, the Distribution Companies (DisCos) will check the meter on the transformer serving that area.
”So, if they remove the losses, they will share the money to the consumers in that area, the households.
“But what is happening now is that the DisCos sit in their offices and write any amount and give people to pay as an estimate.
”People without meters are paying, even during this period that there has not been light. if they refuse to pay they are disconnected and this is injustice being done to consumers,” he said.
According to Okorie, the DisCos are deliberately doing this, the regulator should look into the issue to see how it can be resolved.
