The need to address increasing complaints from customers in the nation’s power sector and modify the behaviour of the nation’s electricity distribution companies (Discos), have been identified by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) as its reasons for going across the country to engage consumers on power issues.
Speaking at the Electricity Consumer Complaint Resolution Platform in Lagos, at the weekend, the acting executive Vice Chairman, FCCPC, Dr Abdulahi Adamu, stated that while the commission continues to get complaints, ranging from overbilling, community transformer problem, metering, energy capping, to disconnection, the DisCos have not been forthcoming.
He added that, with the support of MacArthur Foundation, therefore, the commission decided to organise town hall meetings across the country, featuring relevant regulators in the power sector, the consumers and the operators, with the hope of resolving some of the issues confronting consumers in the sector.
The FCCPC boss stated that the commission had been able to resolve some of the issues brought before it by the customers at the forum, while it had also given timeline for those that could not be resolved immediately at the forum.
“This forum is the eighth that we are having this year, with the recent one being in Bauchi, with the support of MacArthur Foundation. The foundation is urging us to go round the country, listen to customers’ complaints, and provide solution, and this is what we’ve been doing,” he added.
While commending the customers for heeding the call of the commission by coming out to table their complaints before the forum, the FCCPC’s boss also urged them to take such activities beyond the forum, by availing themselves of the several channels provided by the commission to lodge their complaints.
Also speaking at the event, the Governance and Regulatory Manager, Ikeja Disco, Jolaoluwa Adewale, assured the complainants of the DisCos determination to getting their issues resolved.
She commended the FCCPC for organising the forum, noting that the platform provided the company the opportunity to get nearer its customers, and feel their pulse.
“We are determined to respect the law of the land, but we also appeal to put customers to help us in unveiling anybody behind energy theft in their area. We have a whistle-blower platform where this can be done, either physically or virtually,» she stated.
