Nigeria electricity regulator launches app to report power outage

Abuja, Nigeria

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has launched a mobile application for electricity consumers to report power outage complaints and disruptions across the country.

NERC launched the app on Monday in Abuja.

Sanusi Garba, chairperson of the commission said the app is in line with the NERC’s pledge to improve service delivery to electricity customers in the country.

“I think a lot of you can recall that we recently launched a new consumer protection regulation that provides timelines within which public utilities, and especially distribution companies (DisCos), are required to resolve complaints by customers,” Garba said.

“So, this particular app that we have launched today is supposed to assist the commission in monitoring that DisCos are actually complying with the standards set out in that regulation.”

According to Garba, the app was originally designed to sample the quality of power supply.

He added that the commission decided that it was better to have live data help to effectively monitor how DisCos distribute electricity to consumers..

Garba urged citizens to channel their complaints through the app, assuring that prompt responses will increase their confidence in the commission and the DisCos.

“We decided to start this launch with Abuja. There’ll be a national rollout for all distribution companies,” he said.

“Such a massive application would require some test runs and so on.

“So, AEDC is like a guinea pig for the app but we’ll quickly extradite the rollout to other distribution companies but obviously the DisCos where we are having the highest level of complaints will be ranked higher in terms of the rollout.”

Christopher Ezeafulukwe, chairperson of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) who witnessed the event, applauded NERC for the initiative, saying it was a product of collaboration that would ensure a win-win scenario for all citizens.

“I dare say feedback from our customers is actually for the distribution company, what I would call our feedstock,” Ezeafulukwe said.

“It is the raw material that we need to be able to deliver the services that we actually contract to provide.

“One big takeaway is that the app we’re about to launch is a product of collaboration between the commission, the distribution company, and eventually the customers.

“It then implies that it’s going to be a win-win for all of us.

“On the part of the regulator, it’s already been said that it will be greater oversight and not just oversight for oversight sake but to ensure that value is not just being created but being sustained and protected.

“On the part of the distribution company, this will actually help catalyse more data-based decisions on our part.”