Election results stall one million-metre distribution

The Federal Government’s intention to inject one million fresh electricity meters into the country, as promised by President Goodluck Jonathan, may have been shelved following the outcome of the March 28 presidential election.Sources in two power distribution companies and a source from the Electricity Regulatory Commission disclosed toSUNDAY PUNCHon Friday that no circular or directive had been issued to them yet by the Federal Government in that regard.With Jonathan leaving office in five weeks, the sources said the metering agenda could as well be forgotten because no structures or plans had been laid out.“When are we going to have the plan. When will the meters be made available. How will the meters be distributed and who will distribute them are some of the many questions we keep asking,” one the sources explained.Investigations by our correspondent showed that none of the power distribution companies had received circulars spelling out the way the one-million-meter agenda would be implemented.It was also learnt that to date, the regulator of the power sector (NERC) had yet to understand how the government wanted to realise the feat.On January 15 this year, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, announced that the President had approved funds for the procurement of one million electricity metres, which would be given to Nigerians to cushion the effects of inadequate metering in the power sector.Then, some stakeholders in the sector, especially in the distribution segment, were of the view that the announcement was a campaign strategy by the current government to win the confidence of Nigerians and get elected for another four-year term in the general election.The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Power Cap Limited, Mr. Biodun Ogunleye, told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Friday that the initiative was politically-motivated.According to him, owing to the political state of the country when the one-million-meter campaign started, it was possible for some funds to be remitted without the selected suppliers providing the meters to the people.Ogunleye added, “I think the question we should have asked this government is that having privatised the power distribution companies, why was the government promising to give out meters again? It is like selling a car to someone and still buying fuel for the person you sold the car to.“Government has sold these companies, and it has no business giving them money for meters again. Even the reduction in electricity tariff also never made any sense.”Speaking to our correspondent in confidence, another source in one of the power distribution companies said, “I cannot talk for Jonathan’s meters. If I tell you I know anything that is happening as per the one-million-meters, I will be telling you a lie. The whole thing was only in the newspapers. We did not see any circular, not to talk of action.”Over a month into the unveiling of the campaign, a source at NERC, told our correspondent that the commission had yet to receive a plan or programme from the government targeted at realising the promise.The source stated that if government wanted to supply one million metres to Nigerians, it would not be done for free.In February this year, the Minister of Power was quoted as saying that, “As a result of the burden on the distribution companies due to metre issues, the President has provided funding to give over one million meters to Nigerians to reduce the gap and then allow the Discos ensure that all customers are given meters.”