The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday called on the Senate to expedite action on the passage of Electric Power Sector Reform Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018 in order to ensure protection of consumers’ rights and end to exploitation.
The resolution followed a motion moved on the floor of the House by Mr Tunde Braimoh (APC-Kosofe II), as other lawmakers lamented the harrowing experience of electricity consumers in the country.
The House called on the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to direct Eko and Ikeja Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to phase out post-paid meters and provide pre-paid ones to residents.
The Assemblymen called on Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Council (NERC) to direct the Discos to desist from removing transformers under the guise of nonpayment of bills.
In his presentation, Braimoh who is the Chairman, House committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, said that the National Assembly should expedite action on the reform, which he said criminalised the estimated billing system.
“The House resolves to call on the National Assembly to amend the schedule two of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to allow states and local governments to generate electricity.
“The National Assembly should expedite action on the Electricity Reform Act 2018.
“The house calls on the Minister of Power and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to call on Eko and Ikeja Discos to desist from taking transformers away from consumers over non-payment of bills.
“The Minister and NERC should ensure the distribution of prepaid meters to consumers and the Consumer Protection Agency should ensure that the rights of consumers in Lagos State are protected,” Braimoh said.
Other lawmakers, who took turns to support the motion, said that Nigerians had suffered enough from the hands of Discos.
Prince Bisi Yusuff (APC-Alimosho I) said crisis over electricity issue was a daily occurrence in Lagos State.
“Officials of Discos usually remove transformers and they will not replace them for about six months, while they will still be bringing bills for those months,” he said.
Yusuff condemned a situation where electricity consumers would buy transformers and such would later become property of Discos.
Also speaking, Mr Rotimi Olowo (APC- Somolu I) said: “What is generated cannot be transmitted because we don’t have the facilities for transmission.
“We should call on the Minister of Power to make critical analysis of these companies. The Discos do not have the financial muscle to provide power for the people.
“We need to overhaul the electric service providers since they don’t have enough financial requirement, and their monopoly gesture has made life unbearable for our people.”
The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Olumuyiwa Jimoh (APC-Apapa II) said that consumers should have access to pre-paid metres.
According to Mr Gbolahan Yishawu (APC- Eti Osa II), the House should call on the Consumer Protection Agency to push for the rights of the consumers on the issue.
The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said there was the need for the Federal Government to allow states or local governments that can generate electricity to do so.
Obasa said that concentrating electricity generation in the hands of the Federal Government, when there are no resources to do so, would not help the nation to overcome the challenge of power supply.
The speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, to write the National Assembly and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing on the resolution of the House on the matter.
Earlier, the Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni read a letter from the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Kazeem Adeniji, requesting the approval of the House on a proposed High Court Fees Rule.
