The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) has praised the Federal Government and Siemen agreement and the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) programme, describing such initiatives as positive interventions in the power sector.
The Executive Director, Research and Advocacy of ANED, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, stated this while fielding questions from reporters in Abuja. He reiterated commitment of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and the Federal Government to tackling challenges affecting retail electricity distribution in the country.
He said: “The distribution franchise consultations and the present wrap-up of the minor electricity tariff reviews, among others, meant to provide affordable and consistent power supply for electricity customers are some of the collaborative efforts between the DisCos and government.
“It is the hope and expectation of the DisCos that collectively the aforementioned initiatives and activities in tandem with respect for sanctity of contracts, increased regulatory and policy certainty, will provide the enabling environment.
“That will result in a Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) that is commercially viable and sustainable, thereby, attracting the desperately needed investment that continues to be elusive in the sector.
“The commitment by the DisCos and Federal Government to providing electricity to customers was demonstrated by the recent Government/Siemens initiative and regulatory activities. The ongoing Meter Asset Providers (MAP) programme is another collaborative effort of the Federal Government and the DisCos.”
“This is not a desirable outcome. It is noteworthy that government is yet to pay the investor in Yola DisCo for its negotiated return to government,” ruling out the possibility of such a repossession.”
Oduntan said there were doubts about the document on which the report was based, adding that such sensationalism could scare future investors from investing in the economy.
“We are troubled that a sector that is already bedeviled with multiple challenges now has to deal with sensationalism and irresponsible journalism rather than an informed discussion of how we can move the sector forward,” he said.
Source: The Nation
