Abuja – The House of Representatives recently commenced investigation into the challenges faced by the Distribution Companies, Generation companies and other power players operating in the country in provision of adequate power supply to Nigerians.
Saddened by the development, the House Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation and Review of the Activities of the Nigerian Power Sector organized a 2-day public investigative hearing into the activities of power sectors players promising to chart a new roadmap for the critical sector.
Hon.Alhassan Ado Doguwa the Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee in an opening remarks said that there was an urgent need to tackle metering, transmission, licensing and other challenges inhibiting progress for effective supply of power to Nigerians in the power sector.
Speaking further, he noted that power was critical to our nation’s progress and development and lamented that the sector is confronted with liquidity and many other challenges.
Hon. Doguwa the House Leader called on the invited stakeholders who are strong players in the power generation and distribution chain to avail the committee with useful information that will help to solve the problems in the sector assuring them that the hearing was not apportion blames but to find solutions.
Doguwa and other committee members at the hearing called on both the regulators and operators in the power sector to ensure that their activities add value to the lives of Nigerians through effective generation, distribution and metering of electricity supply in households, public offices and industries.
They challenged the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC to ensure that funds appropriated and released for the improvement of power in the power value chain is effectively utilized and called for more efficient metering
system.
The lawmakers further said that NERC as a regulator in the power sector should ensure that there is wide consultation before any of the operators announce an increament in tarrif by the power especially the distribution companies.
Mr. James Fagbemi the Executive Chairman of NERC however assured the committee that the agency is committed to ensuring that there improvement in the quality of power provided to the citizens
He assured the committee that a N701 billion and another N600 billion payment assurance facility so far advanced to the agency by government for stabilization of the sector is effectively utilized.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria in its presentation had told the lawmakers that the company is deploying a total of N1,736,349.00 for expansion of transmission lines across states in all the six geo-political zones of the country.
