The prevailing challenges in the power sector has further been proven to represent the maxim of highest bidder takes it all following celebration of what seems to be its milestone achievement in the month of March 2020. The disco had announced yesterday through its official handle its achievement of an average of 23 hours per day for residents of Magodo which has attracted comments from its followers suspected to be consumers under its network coverage area.
From all indications the electric giant is obviously excited with its achievement and also in depriving other consumers under its network from power supply with obvious special preference to its Magodo consumers who we are reliably informed signed a special agreement for a more regular power supply at a higher tarrif. A consumer identified as Saka Adeyemi responding to the tweet demanded for a prepaid meter as a matter of urgency; as he was concerned being billed N17,150 for the month under review for a three bedroom apartment obviously residential.
This act by an essential service provider especially at this period of stay at home order obviously negates the standards expected from its operations and as regulated cum empowered to provide electricity for consumers under its network coverage area at officially regulated tariffs. Therefore, by implication, it clearly shows that the challenge of power supply solely rest on the discos or in fairness to them, depends on the ability of certain people or area to pay higher than approved tariffs rather than the portrayed pictures constantly shown to consumers on shortfalls from Transmission Companies not meeting with discos’ demands.
With what the disco has achieved and celebrating; it means it will be short-changing the TCN who obviously will be selling same power at its regulated prices while it smiles to the bank with its abnormal profits. On the other hand the rest of its consumers will be left to share the left over crumbs from what may be termed the “Super Consumers “ thereby subjecting severe hardship as a result of increased darkness except it is able to prove that with the new arrangement it has increased its demand from transmission companies to sustain its usual shortfalls in supplies.
With what IE is celebrating, wouldn’t it be seen as systematically effecting a new tariff regime without the approval of its regulatory bodies or by insinuation buttressing the point that the challenge of the shortfall in power supply is dependent of a higher tariffs.
For the residents of Magodo, it may be a welcome development for most of them who are supposedly in terms with the new agreement; however you have only succeeded to sign this agreement at the expense of many and further approving the exploitation of other consumers by IE. Truly it is said that in animal kingdom, all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
We are also aware how hard the Discos fought to frustrate other Embedded Power Generation Companies with this same ideology in the past on the guises of protecting its consumers whom have been subjected to perpetual darkness owing to its persistent failures in meeting with supply. Now that the highest bidder is to take it all, it obviously means that more areas will be thrown into darkness for the sake of satisfying its Super Consumers, which will obviously have its toll on MSMEs, SMEs, Cottage industries and residents alike in other lower tariff paying areas. Where is the equal right to electricity before we ask for justice?
