The new tariffs
approved for electricity consumers across the country will become effective on
Monday and will enable the power distribution, generation and transmission
companies to acquire needed infrastructure, the acting Chairman of the Nigerian
Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Anthony Akah, has said.
Akah, who said this
when he led top executives of the regulatory agency on a courtesy call on the
National Orientation Agency in Abuja on Thursday, also said there was no going
back on the new tariffs.
The NERC boss said the
lack of cost-reflective tariffs had hindered the electricity companies from
acquiring the necessary infrastructure, adding that with the new tariffs, they
would not have any excuse for not delivering on agreements they entered into
with the government.
He said the Nigerian
power sector reform must provide an appropriate pricing template, which had
been lacking, leading to deficiency in revenues from power.
This, he added,
necessitated the new Multi-Year Tariff Order to enable the generating,
transmission and distribution companies to provide the needed infrastructure
for higher generation and supply of electricity to meet the needs of consumers.
Akah said under the new
MYTO, all premises must be metered and consumers who subscribe to specific
metering models must be supplied meters within 60 days after which they would
not be disconnected or charged on estimation if a meter was not supplied.
He also said that a
Power Consumer Assistance Fund had been put in place to cater for the
electricity needs of the less-privileged in the country, adding that the visit
was part of the establishment of a coordinated approach to creating public
awareness ahead of the February 1 implementation date of the new MYTO.
-Punch
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