Bisola David
The Federal Government has stated that power customers filed 333,947 complaints with their various distribution companies during a three-month period regarding metering, billing, and service interruption.
According to The PUNCH, it was revealed in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s recent third quarter report, which stated that the complaints were submitted in the months of July, August, and September 2023.
According to the report on Friday, customer complaints in the third quarter were 8,049 greater than in the previous quarter.
According to the report, “The total number of complaints received across all Discos (distribution companies) in 2023/Q3 was 333,947; Ibadan Disco received the most complaints (59,901), accounting for 17.93% of the total complaints received.” Abuja Disco received the fewest complaints (1,919), accounting for 0.57 percent of all complaints received.
“Compared to 2023/Q2, the number of complaints received, cases resolved, and average resolution rate increased by +2.47 per cent (333,947 in 2023/Q3 vs. 325,898 in 2023/Q2), +1.19 percent (317,179 in 2023/Q3 vs. 313,442 in 2023/Q2), and -1.2 percent (94.98 in 2023/Q3 vs. 96.18 in 2023/Q2).
“The number of client complaints received by Benin (-47.85 percent), Jos (-26.21 per cent), and Ikeja (-1.84 per cent) discos decreased in comparison to 2023/Q2.”
On the other hand, eight Discos saw a rise in the quantity of consumer complaints; Yola (+43.28 percent), Kano (+17.46 percent), and Port Harcourt (+16.05 percent) saw the biggest increases.
The most often reported concerns among the 333,947 complaints received by Discos in 2023/Q3 were metering (57.31 per cent), billing (12.88 per cent), and service interruption (8.07 per cent), according to the report.
“These three complaint categories accounted for more than 78 per cent of total complaints in the quarter. In 2023/Q3, 317,179 of the 333,947 complaints received were handled, for a resolution rate of 94.98 per cent.”
It said that all Discos, with the exception of Abuja Disco (67.17 per cent), had a resolution rate of more over 90% for complaints received within the quarter with Kano Disco recording the highest resolution rate of 99.71 per cent.
However, the NERC noted that it observed the Discos’ complaint handling and resolution systems during the review period.
It claimed that Discos were required to provide monthly consumer complaint reports, which the commission had to analyze in order to identify cases requiring regulatory intervention.
“The customer service standards in the NESI have been updated to conform with international best practices through the Customer Protection Regulations issued by the commission in March 2023.”
“The commission is implementing initiatives aimed at improving the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry customer experience. The commission’s biggest effort is the ‘N contact centre,’ which will give a centralized gateway for users to direct concerns to their service providers.
It further stated that simulation calls/stress testing had been done in preparation for the commission’s call center’s go-live, and that as of September 30, 2023, eight Discos had confirmed preparedness for the go-live service.
It also stated that the commission will launch its Power Outage Reporting System on September 11, 2023, which is a mobile application meant for power users to report outages in real time.
“Once outages are reported on the app, the relevant Disco is notified, allowing it to begin necessary corrective actions. When supply is restored, users on the feeder may also receive notification via the app,” according to the NERC.
