There won't be stable power supply until 2023 - Discos
- The electricity distribution companies say there won't be uninterrupted electricity supply till 2023
- They say uninterrupted electricity supply will not be possible until the challenges facing the power sector are addressed
- The Discos made the revelation at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, July 24
Nigeria will not be able to achieve uninterrupted electricity supply until 2023 if the challenges hampering the progress of the power sector are not addressed.
Punch reports that this was stated by the electricity distribution companies on Tuesday, July 24, which described the liquidity crisis in the sector as a major issue, stressing the need for the government to put in place a cost-reflective tariff.
Legit.ng gathers that speaking on behalf of the Discos, the executive director, research and advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Sunday Oduntan, said at a press conference in Lagos: “There is a need for collaboration among stakeholders in the sector to proffer solutions to the problems. So, we are willing any day; if we are called today for discussions, we will be there because we know that our businesses are at risk. This is very important for all of us to note: if the Discos collapse today, many Nigerian banks will collapse too.
“In case you don’t know, when they were selling the entities, only one of the Discos had foreign direct investment. All the others borrowed money from local banks, and they paid for the assets in dollars. The point is that those who have put their money in the sector will be the first persons to wish that the system succeeds, because the failure of the system means their money is also going down the drain.
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“So, it is in our interest for all of us to work together and find solutions to the problems of the sector. If we do that, everybody will be happy; the customers will be very happy.”
“The issue of metering is no more in the hands of any Disco in Nigeria. The regulator, of course, through the federal ministry of power, works and housing, has taken over the issue of metering; that is the reason for that MAP regulation.
“They are the ones that should now tell us what we should do, and we are ready and willing to cooperate with the NERC to ensure that this thing becomes successful. However, our own metering that we have been doing, sometimes in trickles, will continue. But we are waiting for the MAP regulation to start so that we can all meter our customers."
According to him, the provision of meters to customers would eradicate the issue of estimated billing and contention over it.
He said: “But we should not miss the point, because I remember that our honourable minister still advised us to go and meter our customers. Maybe he has forgotten that he has removed that from our own duties, and that now is the duty of the MAPs.
“We are hoping to do everything possible to make the MAPs successful from our end as Discos, and we are ready to partner and cooperate with the federal government in any way possible but we should not all forget that the sector is bleeding, and that is why we are where we are.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that owners of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under the aegis of Sura Association in Lagos state lamented the lack of electricity in the business community and staged a protest to register their grievances.
The headquarters of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKDC) in Marina, Lagos, was besieged by members of the association.
Nigerian Electricity Crisis Explained | on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
