Power sector reform: Fashola announces approval of 108 meter providers, seeks support for Buhari

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has assured Nigerians that the government was doing everything towards ending estimated, crazy electricity billing by energy providers in the country, as it has given approval for 108 firms to supply pre-paid meters across the country. Fashola said with this development, the government is close to ending the arbitrary billing regimes and enthrone a modern billing system that will ensure consumers are only charged for power consumed, which is the standard practice across the world. The former Lagos State governor said this during the continuation of his neighbourhood consultations/campaign for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 to two wards in Surulere Local Government Arae of Lagos at the weekend. Speaking first at his own ward G3, Fashola reeled out the achievements of Buhari which he said included improved power supply. He said that the 108 metering companies have been given licenses to supply meters, with the aim of addressing problems of discriminatory and arbitrary billing in the electricity sector. “It is the solution of our government by the President to intervene in the metering gaps, people were licensed as Gencos and Discos. “Discos have the contract to supply meters and we hear the concerns of citizens now saying that they want meters because their bills are going up. “So the President and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the proposal for us, supported by the law, the Electric Power Sector Reform, with that, we can license new operators within a licensed area. “So this time, we are going to create new businesses for meter suppliers under a Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme. That policy has been approved. “Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has made the regulations around which it will work; 108 companies, small businesses that will also create employments because those companies are now going to be the suppliers of meters. “They are going to employ people to install the meters, they are going to buy meters, they are going to make meters,’’ he said. The Minister said that the Buhari administration had also provided solar power to 450 shops in the Iponri Market because the traders organised themselves and a private firm was contracted to handle the project. He added that government was ready to extend the solar service to the Iponri Estate, if the residents were ready to have a service centre. While seeking the support of his constituents in Ward G3, Fashola appealed to the residents not to sell their votes, urging them to vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections, telling them however that if the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), comes in an attempt to buy their votes they should collect their money and still vote APC, “it is your money which they stole from you, collect it and still vote APC.” The Chairman of the Iponri Residents Association, Mr Tayo Ogunlade, drew the attention of the minister to some dilapidated infrastructure and some parts of the estate that was sinking. Other residents during the interactive meeting took turns to thank the Buhari administration for construction of some major routes leading into the estate. Also speaking in Ward G2 in another part of Iponri, the minister communicated the achievements and goals of the Buhari government to residents. Speaking on the effort of the government to improve the transportation network in the country, Fashola said this government has been able to revive the rail sector and has made it possible that many Nigerians are now sure to ride on trains to many parts of the country in their life time, which was not possible in the past. He also berated the Goodluck Jonathan administration for not doing enough in the area of road construction, saying that when he assumed office as Minister he inherited a budget of N18billion for roads, when as governor of Lagos State he left a budget of almost N50billion for roads in the state. He added however that the present government has raised budget for roads infrastructure now to almost N500 billion in the current budget, “this is despite that the oil price is now much less than what it was during their time.” Patrick Okohue, Lagos