From David Onuoja, Abuja
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has backed Chief Joseph Tegbe, the Minister of Power’s call, for harmonisation of regulatory and operational activities in the Nigerian Electricity Market (NEM).
NERC, in a statement this evening, said it backed the call which the Minister made during a recent workshop held in Abuja, saying, harmonization will ensure power sector players will work towards the onerous goal of increasing access to electricity supply for Nigerians, as electricity remains the bedrock of development of any nation.
The workshop which was convened by the Honourable Minister of Power in Abuja recently, had the theme: ‘Legal, Policy and Regulatory Harmonization between Federal and State Institutions on the Decentralization of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Speaking also during the event, the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Musiliu Oseni, joined the Honourable Minister of Power to call for harmony in the multi-tier electricity market.
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Dr Oseni stated that Nigerians are less concerned about which institution regulates the sector or formulates policy but interested in having reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply.
He therefore, urged all actors within the emerging multi-tier electricity market to sustain dialogue, strengthen cooperation and remain focused on delivering improved outcomes for electricity consumers.
According to him, “Nigerians do not really care about who regulates what or who is responsible for policymaking, but they strongly care about the availability and reliability of supply. It does not matter to them who drives the sector, be it state or federal, but who actually meets their supply needs.
“It is on this basis I wish to urge all actors in the room to reflect, drop our ego and personal interests, embrace dialogue and let us all work together to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
“We must create a strategic platform where regulatory and policy dialogues on the issues relating to the power sector take place. The honourable minister may wish to institute periodic policy meetings with policy commissioners from the states.
“The platform through which this could take place already exists– i.e., the National Council on Power (NACOP) – but there is a need to reform the structure of engagements. Relatively more frequent and more focused policy meetings with state commissioners may be adopted as against the annual and somewhat large gathering adopted in the past”, he added.
This, he said will ensure frequent touchpoints between the federal and the state governments on policy implementation and coordination, especially during this transition phase.
