Row over power supply: Metering, among other system infrastructures, must be addressed
The past few days for power users across the Country, would no doubt be sour with the experience of epilepsy in the flow of electricity supply. Although, supply of electricity in the Country has never appreciably been known to be evenly spread with consistency and reliability, the past few days would be much more disappointing to those who still fairly enjoy some degree of stability in the supply of electricity. It is widely known that due to some systemic technicalities among other clustering challenges, some areas in the Country are known to be well aback in terms of power supply than others. Hence, the experience in a particular community may be well different from a neighbouring one. More interesting, is the manifestation of such discrepancies even along street lines. The poor capacity of infrastructures in some areas leave even streets within some communities to the laughable phenomenon of alternating use of power transformers, which has brought communities to a poor situation where enjoying a long stretch of electricity supply has become a daydream. In this light, where supply from Transmission may be available, the architecture to convey same to the end users appropriately, is insufficient.
The resultant effect has overtime led to the phenomenon of communities forming development associations to mobilise funds to purchase and fix some of these infrastructures for themselves. The contributory practice of communities pulling their private resources together to purchase and install architectures of power supply by and for themselves has brought in vogue the psychology of hostilities against payment of bills. The resultant disposition towards this, has more dangerously led to aggression against officials of Distribution Companies (DisCos) with attacks meted out on some at life threatening points. Reports have shown of experiences where officials in an attempt to disconnect defaulters of bill payment, were brutalised; some with assaulting attacks. There were those who have reportedly been thrown off electric poles while trying to disconnect consumers. The perception has been premised on the argument that if they — the people of the communities — provided the architecture for which power is being supplied with their own private resources pulled together, then why should officials upon that note have the guts to disconnect them?
DisCos have most recently lamented the scourge of losses from hostilities of several communities to paying bills. The syndrome has left DisCos to result to rejecting supply from Transmission Companies meant for communities which they believe are hostile to paying bills. The phenomenon has constituted negative source of waste in the Power production chain. The lacuna is one large loophole which bears potency of frustrating efforts of the productivity of the sector.
The necessity to enhance the infrastructure of the Power sector in the Country is alarming. At the distribution level, the need to enhance the metering system in the Country is much important. The time to make profound provisions for the much demanded pre-paid metering system is paramount. This will more importantly provide a determinable system where consumers, particularly at the locals, can easily be convinced that they are responsible to pay for what they have consumed; hence removing the sense of being cheated. This will further enhance the culture of frugality with power usage, instrumental to curbing the prevailing wastage of power in the locals where metering system has not found a strong place.
The resultant effect of what has been described as recent “outrageous billing” would naturally find and attract more expression of supporting perception, with the absence of well defined structures to give insights into the scale of consumption and the appropriate cost as provided by metering. Hence, the aggression, assault and attacks against officials of Distribution Companies across the Country would subside when electricity consumers necessarily are acquainted with the guiding provisions of the scale of consumption and the attendant cost. Hence, the need to move to a well defined metering system for power users is paramount, particularly domestic users of electricity who overshadow the consumption profile presently,
More importantly, the necessity to vitalise the needed infrastructures for power supply across the Country is imperative. The prevailing situation where communities pull private resources together to install infrastructures themselves on account of default from the appropriate authorities, has the potential of brewing infractions which are observable from disputes and assaults against officials of Distribution Companies. It is paramount for the Government to craft out coordinating patterns to define the working system of provision of infrastructures for power supply in the Country.
This is, however, not to say that power infrastructure deficits is only peculiar to the Distribution layer of power production chain in the Country. Such would only be an understatement. The whole defining character of power deficit in the Country, would inarguably be rounded up to several strings of which infrastructures remain the grand patron. The recent epilepsy in supply over the past few days, has been reported to be a function of shortage in gas supply. It is well known that despite advantages at the disposal of the Country with enormous potentials to develop a robust power architecture from diversified sources of power generation, the Country is still grappling with a poor generation capacity, powered about 70 percent from gas power plants. Hence, it was reported that low pressure on the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) in the past few days have left several power plants without gas supply; leaving about 3,000 mega watts of power stranded. The low gas supply from gas producers has reportedly left the ELPS with little gas and thereby throwing power plants at Sapele, Ihovbor in Benin, Omoku, Omotosho and Egbin into a state of no supply. The shortfall have left power generation on the national grid to record a fall to about 3,000 Megawatts over the weekend. The trend of inconsistencies of power productivity due to gas supply strains has always been a recurring tale to the ear of Nigerians. The phenomenon has graduated to a tiring state of disgust.
Hence, the profile of acute power deficit in the Country calls for utmost concern, which demands an overarching approach towards addressing the prevailing decay and deficit of infrastructures along the layers of the operating formulations of the power network in the Country. The necessity of power supply cannot be overemphasied. Its utility in the productive capabilities and working operations of the economy remains non-negotiable. This explains why no forward looking nation of the world would take lightly the imperatives of power supply. It is paramount for the Nigerian Government to come to same understanding with the ready and substantive will to blend all plausible efforts for a navigating system that pulls resources towards achieving the desired goal of a sustainable, reliable and virile power architecture in the Country.
