A resolution of right of ways issues being experienced by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company along the Itu-Calabar Axis and an improvement in the power supply in Maiduguri, Borno State were some of the highlights of reports received as Power Sector Operators rose from their Eighth Monthly Meeting in Maiduguri.
It would be recalled that the right of way issues had hitherto hindered a transmission project being supervised by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company along Itu-Calabar Axis as was reported during the seventh edition of the meeting in Benin, Edo State last month.
In a Communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, chaired by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), the Operators also encouraged state governments to assist in improving energy supply by helping to conduct energy audit of their residents as well as educating residents on conservation of energy by switching off bulbs and appliances that are not in use.
Acknowledging the importance of metering in the whole power value chain, the Operators also encouraged the distribution companies to improve on distribution of meters as well as in customer relations and collection of bills, adding that these responsibilities were key to the survival of the industry.
The regulator of the industry, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, also presented at the meeting a fact-based ranking of all power generation, transmission and distribution companies according to their performances as a means of making their operations more competitive and to further improve their performance.
Reiterating the need for all the operators in the industry, especially the distribution companies, to improve on their operations, the Meeting acknowledged with appreciation the report by the Yola Disco and Borno State Commissioner for Energy that power supply to Maiduguri has improved.
The Meeting, however, acknowledged that work still lay ahead to restore full service to Maiduguri and all parts of Borno State.
The Operators also commended the recent appointment of Commissioners of the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission and substantive Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc made by President Muhammadu Buhari, now awaiting confirmation by the Senate, saying that it is consistent with the Federal Government’s drive towards Incremental Power.
The meeting, held at the TCN Maiduguri Works Centre in Maiduguri, Borno State, also had in attendance the Minister of State in the Ministry, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, and top officials of the Operators in the industry, including, Managing Directors of GenCos and DisCos as well as the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NBET, NERC and NEMSA among others.
It was hosted by the Yola Electricity Distribution Company.