The minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has raised the hope of Nigerians towards ending crazy electricity billing with the announcement of approval for 108 firms to supply meters.
Fashola said this during the continuation of his neighborhood consultations/campaign for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 to two wards in Surulere local government of Lagos, yesterday.
At his own ward G3, Fashola reeled out the achievements of Buhari which included improved power supply. He said that 108 metering companies have been given licenses to supply meters to address problem of discriminatory and arbitrary billing in the electricity sector.
“It is the solution of our government by the President to intervene in the metering gaps, people were licensed as Gencos and Discos.
“Discos have the contract to supply meters and we hear the concerns of citizens now saying that they want meters because their bills are going up.
“So the President and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the proposal for us supported by the law, the Electric Power Sector Reform, with that, we can license new operators within a licensed area.
“So this time, we are going to create new businesses for meter suppliers under a Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme. That policy has been approved.
“Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has made the regulations around which it will work; 108 companies, small businesses that will also create employments because those companies are now going to be the suppliers of meters.
“They are going to employ people to install the meters, they are going to buy meters, they are going to make meters,’’ he said.
The minister said that the Buhari administration had also provided solar power to 450 shops in the Iponri Market because the traders organised themselves and a private firm was contracted to handle the project.
He added that government was ready to extend the solar service to the Iponri Estate, if the residents were ready to have a service centre.
While seeking the support of his constituents in Ward G3, Fashola appealed to the residents not to sell their votes. He urged them to vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections.
