By Energy Worth
The minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, has called on the distribution companies (DisCos) to pay attention to service delivery, repairs, maintenance and needs of customers.
Fashola also said the challenge of power supply disruption during the rainy season may affect service delivery. Speaking at the 28th monthly meeting of operators in the electricity industry on Wednesday, June 13, in Kaduna, Fashola called on all operators to be proactive in resolving issues which affect the quality of service during adverse weather conditions. The Cable reports that the minister said it is important that DisCos obtain weather information from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) often to predict service disruption. He said such information once received should be frequently passed down to consumers on restoration plans and timelines.
“I have used the opportunity of this meeting to focus attention of operators, generation companies (GenCos), Transmission Company and DisCos, who are the points of public interface, on the need to pay more attention to service delivery, repairs, and maintenance of equipment. READ ALSO: SARS officer named John boasts he can kill and nothing will happen, dares IG Idris to discipline him (photo) “We are beginning a different weather season that will see more rainfall, thunderstorms, lightening and windstorms. All of these will affect regular supply one way or another. Trees will fall and disrupt lines, poles and lines may be damaged, and service will be disrupted.
“In all these situations, we must prepare our staff to anticipate, plan, and respond. Most importantly, we must inform the public about the problems and what we are doing to restore service whenever there are disruptions. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 news app “As a consumer myself, nothing gives me more comfort than when my service provider shares information about service disruptions. It tells me quickly that at least, somebody knows that there is a problem, and gives me hope that something is being done about it,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Fashola has also appealed to DisCos to work towards ending the estimated billing system. The minister said the estimated bills for electricity consumers is subjective and prone to abuse. He also called on the distribution companies to access the federal government N37 billion fund under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) to achieve an end to the estimated billing regime.
