‘FCCPC’s Electricity Consumer Education Committee Taken Over By Consultant’
By Sunday Etuka, Abuja
The Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA-Nigeria), has called on the Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr Olatunji Bello to investigate the alleged use of Consultant as head of Electricity Consumer Education Committee at the Commission.
In a letter dated 17th March, 2025, signed by the association’s President, Chief Princewill Okerie, and addressed to the FCCPC EVC, the association expressed concern that the committee inaugurated in 2022 to educate electricity consumers in the country is still without a Chairman or Secretary.
It alleged that after initiating the committee, the association was edged out to create room for the staff coordinating the Committee to manipulate the activities of the Committee to derail from the initial objectives for which the Committee was set up.
“We were the initiators of the program that led to establishment of Electricity Consumer Education Committee which has brought Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOS) together and some Government institutions to deliberate on issues of electricity consumer protection.
“Unfortunately, we were edged out to create room for your staff coordinating the Committee to manipulate the activities of the Committee to derail from the initial objectives for which the Committee was set up.
“How can such Committee being coordinated by the Commission through the collaborative effort of our Association be operating without a chairman and secretary and a consultant given opportunity to take over the job after we had midwifed the activities of the Committee until it was inaugurated?”
In the light of the above, the association requested that the EVC FCCPC use his good office to investigate the issues raised on the Electricity consumer Education Committee.
It explained that the purpose of the write up was to raise electricity consumer protection policy issues affecting Nigerian Electricity Consumers which the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission FCCPC) has been empowered to address by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.
Unfortunately, it said, the Commission has not addressed them thereby call to question, the ability of the leadership and staff of the Commission to carry out her statutory functions which is primarily to protect and promote consumer interest (Section 17(l) of FCCP Act 2018).
The association listed one of the issues to include Lack of awareness on electricity consumer protection component of Electricity Act 2023, which it said the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission has not carried out enlightenment for consumers to understand these consumer protection components of the Electricity Act 2023 and Customer Protection Regulations of NERC.
“This calls to challenge how FCCPC is carrying out its mandate in Section 18(2) of FCCP Act 2018 which provides that the Commission shall make general information available to persons engaged in economic activities and for the guidance of consumers with respect to their rights.”
Secondly, it said unfair treatment of consumers under the national metering programme, recalling that in 2020, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) came up with policy called National Mass Metering Program (NMMP) for which the sun of N200billion was earmarked for and N59 billion disbursed to the eleven distribution companies by the Central Bank of Nigeria for the first phase of implementation, to enable them provide electricity meters free to consumers.
Adding: “today, account of how the funds were disbursed and the beneficiaries of the free meters’ distribution is not clear to Nigerians. In this regard therefore, it is expected that FCCPC should call for the review of the consumer protection perspective of metering policy and programmes of the power sector.’’
Another, according to the letter, is the failure to enforce network expansion policy which is against consumer interest and investment. And lastly, the failure of the Distribution Companies (DisCos) to utilise Operational and Capital expenditure (OpEx & CaPex) approvals in the interest of consumers.
As a way forward, the association urged the EVC, FCCPC to set up a team or Committee to review the policy areas mentioned above and advice the Commission on the appropriate steps to take to address them in line with the Commission’s primary mandate of protecting Nigerian Consumers.
It also advised the EVC, FCCPC to give the Association the opportunity to work with the Committee or Tema set up by the Commission to carry out analysis and investigation on the issues.
Meanwhile, all our efforts to get the FCCPC Spokesperson, Mr Ijagwu Ondaje to speak on the issues raised by the association at press time proved abortive, as he could not return all the calls and messages sent to him.
