Oredola Adeola
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining a 24/7 presence to ensure that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) adhere to the right standards and has urged them to create a swift response mechanism to address customer complaints within their networks.
Mr Adamu Abdullahi, Acting Executive Chairman, FCCPC, said at the weekend in Lagos, during the end of a four-day one-stop-shop it organised to address billing, metering, transformer, connection, disconnection, customer service and other electricity consumer issues in Ikeja Disco coverage areas.
According to him, the highest number of complaints received by the commission was on power sector, which created more concerns to call for the forum. He added that the electricity customers should feel free to use our services.
He said, “We are always on ground 24/7 to sort your problems. We will ensure that whoever that is not doing the right things is made to do what is right,”
Abdullahi further stated that this also enables FCCPC, with the support of MacArthur Foundation to embark on a nationwide tour to meet the consumers and hear their complaints.
According to him, the forum is an intervention to bring all the stakeholders together to listen to consumers’ complaints and resolve them.
The executive chairman added that FCCPC would also get commitment from Discos on a timeframe within which such complaints have to be resolved.
According to him, the commission also ensured that the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) joined in the forum.
“The major complaints received from all over the country is on over billing, community transformer problems, disregard of metering and regulations from NERC with respect to disconnection, energy tapping, tariff band classification.
“Other issues also had to do with account reconciliation, adjustment bottlenecks, disconnection without notice, and billing before connection of the billed property with electricity.
“These are issues that are very serious for consumers, and when they request reconciliation most time the DISCOs are not forthcoming.
“That is why complaints are brought to the NERC and FCCPC, which is the last resort apart from the court,” he said.
The FCCPC boss, however, advised Discos to be more forthcoming in addressing customers’ complaints quickly, adding, “this is not our core competence.”
“They have the primary responsibility of offering services to their consumers and resolving these complaints.
“The consumers should have confidence in their service providers and feel free to complain to them first because that is what the law says.
“We appeal to the complainants not to take the law into their own hands but ensure that they lodge their complaints in the right manner.
“We are here to resolve the issues. To sit down with complainers and the people who would normally resolve these complaints.
“Our resolution is to resolve all these problems in these few days we are here or give a timeline to dispose of the complaints. If they fail, you are free to report to our Lagos office.
“We give you the assurance that specifically we are here for you. he added.
Acting Executive Chairman, FCCPC, therefore commended the NERC, NEMSA, and the DISCOs themselves, for finding time to join in resolving the issues.
He said, “We give you the reassurances that we will do whatever that is within our power to resolve your issues and whatever that is not resolved please report to us.
“We are here for customers, so feel free to let us know your problems, and we will resolve them,” he emphasised.
Mr. Salami Afeez, Area Inspecting Engineer, Ikeja Network, NEMSA, in his remarks, assured FCCPC of the agency’s continued collaboration with the commission in delivering on its mandate as a technical enforcement agency for energy sector.
Salami also said the agency had always and would continue to go round Ikeja Disco’s network to monitor the defects in its network.
