Hope Rises On Meters For Consumers

There are indications
that the absence of electricity meters in the country would soon be over as the Federal Government has taken steps to ensure that meters are provided for  power consumers across the nation.
Recently, Federal Government announced an approval of  N33 billion low interest intervention funds to support the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in that bid.
The presidency said this money would  assist the DISCOs to buy meters and other  electric power accessories for improved power supply in the country.
The outcry by electricity consumers for provision of meter which outlived the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN|) even became more with the takeover of the sector by private investors.
Nigerians who groan over very poor supply regrets that the investors were using  the non availability of meters to fixed and crazy charges thereby defrauding innocent masses.
Fixed and crazy charges have become a corporate fraud on Nigerians. It is against economic law of more pay  for more utility. It is against logic and quite unfair to innocent Nigerian: said  National – coordinator of Niger Delta Youth coalition (NDYC) Prince Emmanuel Ogba.
Ogba who described Federal Government intervention as belated, however commended the presidency for its new steps towards addressing the fraudulent situation.
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) last week promised that the fixed charge currently borne by electricity consumers would be removed.
The Director-General of BPE, Benjamin Dikki, in a statement signed by the bureau’s head of public communications, Chigbo Anichebe in Abuja appealed to electricity consumers to bear the burden as it was temporary measures that will be totally removed as soon as power generation becomes economically sustainable.
Dikki who regretted that the country with an installed power  capacity of 6,000 megawatts but is currently generating only between 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts said revenues from the 3,000 megawatts were not sufficient to support the power infrastructure.
He said it is the initial sacrifice consumers had to make given the huge financial investment made by the new power investors who are yet to obtain adequate returns on their investments.
Dikki likened the situation to what happened during  the initial stages of the telecommunications sector when the cost of the subscriber identity module (SIM) cards and cell phones was as high as N50,000 per SIM and noted that as SIM had crashed and sold for almost nothing, with free airtime, electricity fixed charges would also crash.
He explained that Nigeria required three million meters annually and stated that the Federal Government reform and privatisation has impacted positively on the nation’s economy.

Chris Oluoh