By Olaitan Ibrahim
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has revealed that electricity distribution companies in the country received 291,380 consumer complaints during the first quarter of 2024.
This was disclosed in the Commission’s Q1 2024 Operational Performance Report, published in July and accessed on Friday.
The report showed volumes of complaints related to service delivery issues, billing disputes, and other operational concerns.
According to the document, “The DisCos cumulatively received 291,380 complaints from consumers in Q1 2024.
This represents a decrease of 19.12% compared to the 360,145 complaints recorded in Q4 2023.”
The complaints were categorised based on the issues consumers raised, with the majority of concerns centred around billing.
NERC’s report highlights, “The most frequent complaints raised by consumers during the quarter were on billing (45.73%), metering (16.04%), and interruptions (11.95%).”
Addressing the DisCos’ response to these complaints, the report notes, “A total of 278,312 complaints were resolved during the quarter, representing a resolution rate of 95.52%.”
NERC emphasised the importance of this metric as part of its regulatory functions to ensure consumer satisfaction and operational efficiency in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
The report, pursuant to Section 34(1)(e) of the Electricity Act 2023, is part of NERC’s mandate to monitor the performance of NESI and ensure the safety, security, and reliability of electricity production and delivery.
The Commission continues to monitor these operational metrics, ensuring that DisCos improve their service delivery to consumers.
NERC also convened town hall meetings to address some of the concerns raised in the complaints.
According to the report, “In March 2024, the Commission convened town hall meetings in Kano (7th-9th March) and Lagos (21st-23rd March) where issues around service-based tariffs, capping, metering, and customer redress mechanisms were discussed.”
The report underscored the ongoing challenges DisCos face in improving their service delivery and highlighted the Commission’s commitment to consumer education and enlightenment.
It stated, “The Commission continued to implement customer enlightenment programmes during the quarter,” which involved traditional media, social media channels, and physical meetings aimed at addressing key consumer concerns.
Despite the challenges, NERC emphasised its dedication to ensuring that DisCos meet their targets.
“The inability of DisCos to achieve their respective ATC&C targets means that they are not able to recover the full revenues they require to provide returns to investors,” it added.
The Commission expects continued improvements in the coming quarters, especially as DisCos increase their metering efforts and address operational inefficiencies across the country.