By our Reporter
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has assured electricity consumers in Bauchi State of addressing their complaints promptly.
Acting Executive Chairman of
FCCPC, Adamu Abdullah, gave the assurance in Bauchi at the weekend during a meeting with consumers in Bauchi, organized by the Commission in conjunction with the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Agency (NERA).
Abdullahi disclosed this during the closing of a four-day electricity consumer complaint resolution platform organized by the Commission and supported by the MacArthur Foundation held on Saturday in Bauchi.
The assurance was in response to customers’ complaints against the activities of the Nigeria electricity management agency and the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).
The consumers during the meeting observed that electricity supply was key to the day to day running of an individuals’ lives hence Nigerians should get fair hearing from complaints over reported issues of electricity consumption.
All the Electricity consumers in Bauchi state had the opportunity to present their grievances regarding electricity supply from the Jos electricity distribution company during the meeting.
The meeting was tagged a one stop shop for addressing your billing metering, transformer, connection, disconnection, consumer service and other electricity issues in JEDC coverage areas.
Most of the consumers complaint about the issue of estimated billing, delay in delivery of electricity meter after payment, communities buying and paying for transformer installation among others.
Though they came in to the meeting looking furious with files on hand, they left smiling after the issues where addressed by Commission, Nigeria electricity regularly agency and the Nigeria electricity management agency and JEDC.
One of the consumers, Professor Abubakar Yusuf said that he could not believe what he got after presenting his complaint.
” I had an accumulated bill of N600.000, because am been charged between N90, 000 to N95, 000 per month, but after presenting my case, I was well attended to and I leave this place a satisfied consumer”.
Another person, Tanko Dutse of Yelwa area of Bauchi, had the intention of dragging the distribution company to court but halted the move when he heard about the platform.
“I wanted to challenged the distribution company for tampering on my rights to electricity, but when I came here, my issues were well attended to. I commend the Commission for this platform,.” Dutse said
Another electricity consumer , Abdulrahim Abdulmumini wants the Commission to extend such platform to rural communities.
The Acting Executive Chairman of the Commission stressed that electricity supply was key to the day to day running of an individual’s life.
Abdullahi stressed that the Commission decided to intervene following series of complaints about poor services from electricity distribution companies across the country.
“The question now is what happens if a consumer’s case is not addressed within the four days? Adamu Abdullah said the Commission will continue to engage with the relevant agencies,” he said..
He urged Nigerians with such complaints to follow due process in pursuing their cases without resulting to violence or aggressive against staff on duty.