Electricity consumers empowered to monitor DisCos with app

.Insist on compliance from 11 DisCos

Nigeria’s 11.47 million electricity consumers can now report power outages through mobile applications and get empowered with necessary data that will enable them to hold Distribution Companies (DisCos) accountable for poor service delivery.

The mobile application, which was launched in Abuja, yesterday, and starting with Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), is expected to check erratic power supply in country, enabling consumers to report outages, monitor the process of implications and hold the sector accountable for promises under the Service Based Tariff (SBT).

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had issued an order on the migration of customers and compensation for service failure under the SBT framework. The order empowers customers to demand compensation for lost hours when power distribution companies fail to supply contracted hours under the SBT.

Chairman of NERC, Sanusi Garba, said the development remained sacrosanct in the attempt to improve service delivery in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

Noting that the application could be downloaded on Android and Apple Store, Garba said the development would further improve on data that would enable a transparent verification of DisCos’ compliance with the compensation order.

According to him, the quality of service in the sector is critical, and that the commission has made progress in ensuring that service providers in the sector are held accountable.

“This is part of our efforts at leveraging technology to address complaints of power outages and ensure quick resolution by DisCos and NERC. I think a lot of you can recall that we recently launched a new consumer protection regulation that provides timelines within which public utilities, especially DisCos, are required to resolve complaints by customers.

“So, this particular app that we have launched today is supposed to assist the commission in ensuring that DisCos are actually complying with the standards set out in that regulation,” Garba said.

Commissioner, Consumer Affairs at NERC, Aisha Mahmud, said all the DisCos would deploy the application, adding that the move would create a dual monitoring by the DisCos and the commission while empowering consumers.

“The app was introduced to ensure that electricity consumers get the best service and get value for their money from the DisCos and to also ensure they are well protected,” she said.