The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), has called for a robust inter – agency collaboration with regulatory bodies, stakeholders to ensure fair competition and safeguard consumer rights in the nation’ s electricity sector.
Speaking at a Stakeholder Engagement on Consumer Protection and Regulatory Cooperation in Nigeria’s Electricity Sector, FCCPC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, described the sector as key to socio – economic well-being of Nigerians and national development, stressing that this is why the high powered meeting was held with the stakeholders.
Tunji Bello said for the first time in the history of the country, State Governments may establish their own Electricity Regulatory Commissions and regulate interstate electricity markets in ways that reflects their individual economic and social realities
The FCCPC boss explained that stronger partnership with the commission is sure to promote better service delivery, consumer protection and general public interest.
“Your presence speaks very loud about your willingness to work together to strengthen consumer protection in one of Nigeria’s most important sectors and the Electricity Act, 2023 represents one of the most significant reforms of Nigeria’s electricity sector in recent years because beyond creating new opportunities for investment and improved service delivery, it has fundamentally reshaped our regulatory architecture” He said
According to him, for the first time, states may establish their own Electricity Regulatory Commissions and regulate intrastate electricity markets in ways that reflect their individual economic and social realities and this creates greater scope for innovation, quicker decision-making and more responsive regulation and at the same time, makes cooperation between our institutions more important than ever.
‘’The success of this framework will depend not only on the effectiveness of each regulator, but also on how well we work together. Consumers experience electricity as one system. When supply is interrupted or a bill appears incorrect, they are not concerned about which regulator has jurisdiction. They simply expect protection, ensuring that our institutions work seamlessly together is our responsibility, not theirs”
“Today’s regulatory environment is increasingly specialised. Sector regulators brings deep technical expertise, while the FCCPC brings economy-wide experience in consumer protection and competition. within the electricity sector, NERC provides sector-specific regulation, NEMSA enforces technical standards, the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions undertake intrastate regulations and the FCCPC contributes its cross-sector consumer protection mandate”.
‘’These responsibilities are different, but they are complementary. our objective is to consult, exchange information, support one another’s lawful actions and ensure that consumers receive timely and effective protection, that is the hallmark of mature regulatory governance and over the past year, the FCCPC has worked closely with NERC, NEMSA and other stakeholders on issues affecting electricity consumers. That experience has consistently shown that the best outcomes come from collaboration, not rivalry; from respecting one another’s mandates, engaging early and coordinating our actions” he said
He explained that recognising that unresolved concerns could undermine confidence in both the replacement exercise and the wider regulatory system, the Commission convened a meeting attended by NERC, NEMSA and all electricity distribution companies to ensure that the exercise proceeded fairly and in accordance with the law. Following deliberations, the replacement exercise was suspended pending compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, a position that was endorsed by both NERC and NEMSA.
“The outcome demonstrated that consumers benefit most when regulators work together and coordinate their respective powers towards a common objective and the eventual resolution reflected the requirements of NERC’s Order on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-user Customer Meters. The Order guaranteed that consumers would not bear the cost of replacing obsolete meters, would not experience interruption of electricity supply during the replacement exercise, and would not be subjected to estimated billing because of delays in implementation”.
Bello noted that those safeguards reflected the principle that consumers should never be disadvantaged because infrastructure has reached the end of its useful life through no fault of their own.
He advised consumers to use the established complaints resolution mechanisms, engage regulatory institutions in good faith, and exercise their rights responsibly while fulfilling their own obligations.
Responding on behalf of Electricity Regulatory Agencies, An Assistant Director and Head, Consumer Protection Department, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Anthony Essien commended FCCPC for the Stakeholders Engagement and promised their readiness to collaborate with the Commission towards achieving its set objectives in the nation’s electricity sector.
Essien said NERC would continue to ensure proper regulation of the sector in line with the 2023 Electricity Act.
Also speaking on behalf of State’s Electricity Regulatory Commissions, the Chairman, Enugu Stare Electricity Regulatory Commission, Chijioke Okonkwo said State Regulatory Commissions would also partner with FCCPC for better service delivery to Nigeria’s Electricity consumers.
Okonkwo called for more measures that would reposition the country’s electricity sector to boost national economic development.
