The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is broadly divided into three sectors: Generation, Transmission and Distribution. Collectively, these three parts face bottlenecks that affect the industry’s output. As commonly known, some of the most critical challenges affecting the NESI are in the distribution sector. However, promoting accountability and transparency in the distribution space will go a long way in fighting corruption from consumers and Distribution Companies (DisCos).
On Tuesday, the 7th of December, The Electricity Hub (TEH) organised an anti-corruption workshop in collaboration with the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED). The event themed ‘Promoting Accountability and Transparency in the Power Sector’ highlighted corruption practices in the distribution sector.
An array of electricity sector stakeholders attended the workshop. The attendees included Azu Obiaya, CEO ANED, Barr. Sunday Oduntan, MD ANED, TEH representatives, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) representatives. Also present were Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), media personnel and representatives of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
The workshop featured presentations from Barr. Sunday Oduntan and the TEH team. Afterwards, participants were divided into breakout groups for an hour. Each group consisted of members from every stakeholder organisation represented.
The breakout sessions highlighted common corruption issues in the distribution space. Some of the issues mentioned included the metering scheme, customer practice, band implementation, estimated bill capping, bill payment, monitoring DisCos’ performance and enumeration/identification of DisCo officials.
Each breakout group was tasked with analysing the corruption challenges assigned and finding solutions. Then, to support promoting accountability and transparency in the distribution sector, each group made presentations of their proposed results. In conclusion, recommendations such as officials wearing their ID cards at all times, timely metering of customers, customer enlightenment, among other suggestions, were shared with stakeholders to implement.