*The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission organises a three-day Customer Complaints Resolution Town Hall Meeting, in Osogbo, Osun State capital, to address consumer complaints, challenging Nigerians to become familiar with their rights and demand same from electricity providers

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Against the backdrop of the recent surge in consumer complaints over metering and overbilling among other complaints, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has challenged Nigerians to be familiar with their rights and demanded that their rights be met by the service providers in the power sector of the economy.

绿帽献妻 reports Aisha Mahmoud, Commissioner for Customer Affairs at NERC, threw the challenge Thursday, October 10, 2024, while speaking with reporters at a three-day Customer Complaints Resolution Town Hall Meeting, which the Commission organised in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

Mahmoud stated the NERC had organised the forum to address complaints from customers, and noted that it would also enable the electricity regulatory Commission to have feedback from the customers.

Why several Nigerian consumers are unaware of their rights, obligations

The top NERC official also stressed that several Nigerian consumers are unaware of their rights as electricity customers, even though such rights and responsibilities are listed on the Commission鈥檚 corporate Web site.

The Commissioner for Customer Affairs, however, said that the Commission would continue to sensitise electricity consumers to ensure that service providers fulfil obligations.

鈥淲e are here to listen to customers, listen to their complaints, and have those complaints resolved on the spot.

鈥淪o, we are here for three days just to listen to whatever customers have to say regarding the electricity industry.

鈥淐ustomers will have a lot of concerns, and we thought instead of just sitting in Abuja and waiting for them to come and complain, why not just go to them and get those complaints resolved?鈥� she stated.

Mahmoud noted: 鈥淭hat is what we have been doing, and I think for this year, this should be like the 7th or 6th location that we have been to.

鈥淭he second reason we are here is to educate them (customers) on what we think they should know regarding their rights and obligations.

She averred: 鈥淲e do know that most Nigerians don鈥檛 know their rights, even though they have a lot of rights, because we keep telling customers that when they pay for electricity, they are not just paying for electricity, but they are also paying for services.

鈥淪o they should demand their services be rendered to them. So they don鈥檛 know about these rights.鈥�

The Commissioner for Customer Affairs as well said: 鈥淲e have them among all these beautiful regulations and others on our Web site, which Nigerians are mostly not aware of.

鈥淪o, we are here just to inform them that you have this right, and you should insist that services be provided to you.鈥�

Kindly Share This Story