Stakeholders Seek Deregulation of Operations of Abuja Disco in Niger

Stakeholders at the Niger State ‘Open Forum’ organised by a non-governmental organisation in Minna, the state capital, have called for the deregulation of the activities of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) in the state as one of the ways to improve electricity supply in towns and villages in the state.

The forum organised by the Blue Resolution (The People First) at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre on Tuesday also asked the AEDC "to leave" since it has not been able to address the electricity needs of people in the state.

The grouse of the stakeholders followed the drop in electricity supply from the initial agreed six hours a day to four hours, and presently three hours to virtually all the communities.

They said the situation has been further compounded by the release of "crazy estimated bills" to customers and the refusal of AEDC to distribute pre-paid meters despite announcement that it has over 55,000 of such meters in its office,  the stakeholders submitted.

One of the stakeholders at the forum with the theme: ‘Electricity Supply and Development in Niger State’, Alhaji  Dauda Hussain Paiko, asked for the liberalisation of the activities of AEDC, saying the government should now consider solar power, coal and gas as alternative sources of power (and energy).

The government, Paiko said, should fund companies that would explore these options to the maximum and licence them to compete with other electricity generation companies in the country.

The stakeholder lamented that the PHCN was sold to AEDC as "family inheritance" and has been handled "as family property."

Another stakeholder, Yahaya Dauda, insinuated that staff of the AEDC were engaged in pilfering money paid by consumers, and therefore suggested that "communities should be allowed to collect payments made by electricity consumers and pay to the AEDC.

"By the time you do this for two or three months, you will see the difference, and AEDC will know consumers are paying contrary to what the company is claiming."

At the end of the forum, the stakeholders asked for the deregulation of the AEDC and establishment of new power generation outfits.

The representative of the Business Manager of the AEDC, David Ofene, blamed the drop in electricity supply in the state on "natural disaster which we are trying to overcome."

The stakeholders did not accept his excuse as some of them walked out on Ofene.