OpeOluwani Akintayo
25 February 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and electricity distribution companies, DisCos, have met with representatives of the Armed Forces and electricity consumers across the country to address their complaints about power supply.
In a statement by NERC on Sunday, the commission said it hosted a special committee of the Nigerian Armed Forces, and consumers with a view to addressing the shortage of power supply.
According to NERC, the decision to bring in representatives of the armed forces to the meeting Discos and electricity consumers across the country was to address each of their complaints once and for all.
The DisCos in 2015, had raised an alarm over the sum of N26 billion owed them by police and military barracks across the country, threatening disconnection.
According to the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, ANED’s Director, Research, and Advocacy, Sunday Oduntan, more than N10 billion out of the total debt of N26 billion was owed by military formations in Kaduna, Lagos, Oyo, Kwara and Ogun states.
Oduntan lamented that the huge debt owed the DISCOs was hampering their operations.
Eko DisCo alone had said its share of the N26b debt was N600 million.
Speaking at the meeting held on Friday, leader of the special team, Air Vice Marshal ABC Nweze, emphasised the importance of power and security in the country.
He added that the need for collaborations between the Armed Forces and power sector cannot be “over-emphasized”.
NERC then promised to work together with the DisCos to address “epileptic power supply in the barracks and military locations in Nigeria”.
