Mixed reactions trail new electricity tariff

…Discos assure of improved service delivery
The new Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO 2015) regime declared by the Federal Government on Monday has triggered various reactions from stakeholders who have placed high expectations of the services of the Distribution Companies (Discos).

The Discos, have on their part assured electricity consumers in the country of improved service delivery and full compliance with the provisions under the new tariff structure.

The Director, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Mr. Sunday Olurotimi Oduntan, said: “This is where we were supposed to be two years ago when we took over. However we are not doing bad, but i can assure you that we are going to do our best to provide improved the services. I am happy that we were able to forego the fixed charges that Nigerians were yearning for, and anything that can making things better for Nigerians we are all for it, because we are all Nigerians and we are also electricity customers.
“Its a good starting point and i hope we will get there. What we have been calling for is that we need a tariff that will enable us to approach financial institutions, and allow us to put in that much needed investment that will drive us to the promise land,” he said.

Oduntan went down the memory lane that between 1989 and 1999, there was no single investment in the sector, hence, the rot of 50 years cannot be cleared completely in two years.\

He therefore urged Nigerians should endure with the Discos, assuring that they will also see improvement, “especially now that we have are having a new set of tariff that is cost reflective,”
He therefore assured that the Discos shall comply with any regulation under this new tariff, particularly in the prepaid metering directive.

A Policy Analyst, Ademola Oshodi, said: “We saw this coming. It is not based on an increase in cost of business, but really on an inefficient and badly regulated sector. The Nigerian consumer should demand more accountability with this new increase.
“With so much optimism from the deregulation of power sector, now the dashing of expectations. The consumer should not only demand the service level agreement be made public but the architects of this increase be held accountable,” he said.

A electricity expert and consumer in Lagos, Muyiwa Adeboye said, the Discos does not deserve the increase, because people are already paying too high tariff that does not commensurate with the services enjoyed.
“Why should government dash them such tariff, I see no reason for that because i am still buying fuel to power my generator due to poor supply. The number of times government has increased the tariff is more than what is proposed in the power agenda of the Federal Government, and this is because they have interest. So far, they have not justified the investment in the sector and there is no need for any increase now,” he said.

Adeboye alleged that the Discos are now making higher revenue from the era of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, as many of them now earn as much as 400 per cent higher because they have blocked some of the leakages in the past era.