‘Only deployment of efficient metering system would curb collection losses’

Any plan to curb the insistent collection losses by Distribution companies without an efficient metering system would just be an effort in futility stakeholders have advised.

Concern industry watchers observed that there is no mincing of words that the Nigerian Power Sector is facing a serious liquidity crunch.

Stakeholders comprising of operators, customers and industry analysts while discussing the Economic and politics of prepaid meters in a social media platform monitored by BusinessDay pointed out that electricity is a serious business, it is not charity.

Kola Momoh, an industry expert said fluctuating policies have negatively impacted meter production in Nigeria saying that installation and not production of meters is a major crux in the metering space.

Momoh advised that the non-challant attitude of the Discos in metering consumers should be discouraged.

Sola Adeyemo, representative of the Managing Director of Ibadan Disco observed that Metering is a business adding that people are actually fed up with estimated billing as the average cost of a prepaid meter is 53,000.

Adeyemo disclosed that there is an average shortfall of 2billion naira monthly in the Ibadan Disco, adding that this is occasioned by the fact that there are entire communities in various states in Nigeria, where meters are expertly bypassed.

Commenting on the question do the Discos prefer estimated billing or what is against the simplicity of billing consumers for what they consume, a Power System Engineer and Founder, Association of Nigerians working in the UK Power Sector in his tweet response observe that the Discos are scared they will not be able to survive. This set of “investors” needs to up their game or they risk being replaced in the future.

He pointed out that basically estimated billing is discos’ lowest hanging fruit to accruing “quick-profit”. Discos are simply illiquid.

“This is the only way they can make money without investment. A bad person sees a loophole and makes use of it” he tweeted.

Analyst said a good government sees providing electricity as a major responsibility. Nigeria however needs to bring together power system engineers home and abroad to lead this project of power systems. Otherwise, no show!

Industry watchers are of the opinions that organisations like the World Bank will request some form of transparency and see through to invest in Nigerian power system.

If this process is followed, only then can it be attractive to real investors and not looters. “What a government does is to build a power system. When the power system is stable, other governments have privatised the industry.

When Nigeria needs electricity, she will remove politics from it. When things deteriorate so much, even those benefitting from the rot will help. Level of poverty, authority stealing without impunity, low self-esteem, unemployment and many factors are involved.

They observed that a solution based on power system engineering that prevents anybody to by-pass electricity is what operators in the power sector needs to provide.

KELECHI EWUZIE