The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), in conjunction with the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Agency (NERA), has been called upon to ensure that Nigerians get a fair hearing on complaints over reported issues over electricity consumption.
The call was made by many people who had one complaint or another against the activities of the Nigerian Electricity Management Agency and Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).
It was during the closing of a four-day electricity consumer complaint resolution platform organised by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and supported by the MacArthur Foundation held on Saturday in Bauchi.
All the electricity consumers in Bauchi State had the opportunity to present their grievances regarding electricity supply from the Jos electricity distribution company during the meeting.
The meeting was tagged as a one-stop shop for addressing your billing metering, transformer, connection, disconnection, consumer service, and other electricity issues in JEDC coverage areas.
Most of the consumers complain about the issue of estimated billing, delay in delivery of electricity metres after payment, and communities buying and paying for transformer installation, among others.
Though they came into the meeting looking furious with files on hand, they left smiling after the issues were addressed by staff from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Nigerian electricity regularly agency, the Nigerian Electricity Management Agency, and JEDC.
One of the consumers, Professor Abubakar Yusuf in the Bauchi metropolis, said that he could not believe what he got after presenting his complaint.
According to him, ” I had an accumulated bill of N600,000 because I was charged between N90,000 and N95,000 per month, but after presenting my case, I was well attended to, and I leave this place a satisfied consumer.”.
Another person, Tanko Dutse of the Yelwa area of Bauchi, had the intention of dragging the distribution company to court but halted the move when he heard about the platform.
Tanko Dutse said, “I wanted to challenge the distribution company for tampering with my rights to electricity, but when I came here, my issues were well attended to. I commend the Commission for this platform.”
Another electricity consumer, Abdulrahim Abdulmumini, wants the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to extend such a platform to rural communities.
Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Adamu Abdullah, said that electricity supply is key to the day-to-day running of an individual’s life.
He stressed that that is why the Commission decided to intervene, as there are constant complaints about poor services from electricity distribution companies across the country.
The question now is: What happens if a consumer’s case is not addressed within four days? Adamu Abdullah said the Commission will continue to engage with the relevant agencies.
He urged Nigerians with such complaints to follow due process in pursuing their cases without resulting in violence or aggression against staff on duty.
