The Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) recorded N777billion revenue collection in first quarter of 2022, this is according to the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED).
This was despite the fact that the DisCos had installed around 129,352 distribution transformers since the privatisation of the power sector in 2013.
Despite the inadequacies of DisCos, investors and operators, according to ANED, are entirely committed to improving customer service delivery.
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Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, (ANED), Sunday Oduntan said there has been improvement in, “Establishment of a new revenue collection of N777 billion; the installation of 129,352 distribution transformers as of 2020 versus 75,041, in 2013, a 72 per cent increase; Increased metering from 2.3 million in 2013 to 4.1 million as of 2020, a 78 per cent increase.”
The Association also identified other feats by the DisCos during the quarter to include a reduction of average Aggregate Technical Commercial & Collection Losses (ATC&C), estimated in excess of 56 per cent, pre-privatisation) to 46.3 per cent; increase in the number of registered customers from an estimate of less than 2 million customers, pre-privatisation, to 10.2 million; establishment of 1,035 customer centres and the creation of 32,573 jobs as against the 23,515 at the privatisation period.
According to ANED, the recent restructuring of the DisCos was being worsened by a resort to violations of the rule of law – expropriation of DisCos outside the framework of the agreements reached under the privatisation of the assets.
The association highlighted the core issues of the power sector to include; lack of a cost-reflective and sustainable tariff, inadequate gas supply, inconsistent regulatory and policy determinations, transmission grid constraint, non-payment of MDA electricity debt, electricity theft, and the lack of respect for the sanctity of contract, which must be addressed.
