NERC, FCCPC ensure value for money in power sector

A new movie by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) may hold players in the power sector accountable to offer value for money.

The two commissions, while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja, harped on the need for collaboration in ensuring that consumers are protected.

Chairman of NERC, Sanusi Garba, said the new MoU marked the formal pact as the agencies have been in collaboration since the commissions were encountering patent-related reform and consumer protection.

Decrying challenges in regulating the power sector and ensuring consumer protection, NERC added that the pact would boost capacity to regulate and ensure the protection of consumers’ rights in the power sector.

“We have a challenge of making sure that consumers actually get service and so on,” Garba, said meter, estimated billing, lack of service, complete out of service, inadequate service and others, are leading issues in the sector.

“All these can be tied to the legacy issues that the industry has been battling with, and also what the reform agenda was intended to address. So, the work is not done yet.

“And I think the MOU we’re assigning today is a very important step, whereby two government agencies charged with regulating different aspects of the same Nigerian nation are coming together to collaborate in terms of synergy, pulling our resources together.”

Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, described the MoU as a concrete step noting that the commitment of both parties to ensure improved service delivery and consumers satisfaction remained sacrosanct.
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