By Sunny Ikhioya

WE  must continue to discus the challenges in our power sector until all issues are resolved. It is very important that we clear the misconception that electricity supply situation will improve if the tariff increase is effected. It is quite unfortunate that our Honourable Minister in charge of Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola is stuck on this belief. It is clear that the DISCOS (electricity distribution companies) did not do enough due diligence before they jumped into the bandwagon.

The representative of Ikeja distribution company (ikedc), revealed that much during his last interview on Channels television, when he asserted that, it was not until they effectively took over from PHCN (Power Holding Company of Nigeria), that they discovered that things are not what they seem to be. They discovered that most of the machines and equipments that were handed over were either obsolete or not in top functioning  conditions. The question then is:  why will the customers bear the consequences of the inefficiencies arising from the privatisation process?

Successful businesses are built on  ideas, coupled with correct planning and effective execution. If you did not gather enough information on the business that you want to engage in, only to find out later that there are a lot missing from your projections, the best thing to do, is to go back to the drawing board. From the beginning the structures were defective and no amount pumped in, in the form of increases in tariffs will solve the problem that we are faced with.

File photo: Blackout

The simple truth is that, our DISCOS entrepreneurs were not properly grounded in the assignment that they took upon themselves and that has railed the project. They are supposed to work independently and compete among themselves to deliver service to consumers, but now, they have turned themselves into a trade association, crying, cap in hand begging, to the Federal government for any slight challenge that they face. Business is a risk, you either succeed or you fail.

When you succeed, there is a reason for it and when you fail, the same thing applies. We have not critically examined the causes of the failures of our DISCOS and if we continue to encourage them by increasing tariffs, the solution will never be found. We have an example in our Petroleum industry. Several times we increased pump price of fuel, in the guise that it will free up funds for other projects plus, capital for the improvement of the petroleum sector. Each time the efforts were derailed by the inefficiencies in the system.

As stated earlier on, our DISCOS were founded on faulty foundations because they did not have first hand information about the state  of our defunct PHCN. Thus, that have not been able to effectively handle the transition. If you take a census of the staff population of our present DISCOS, especially the Benin sector, you will find out that over 70% (seventy percent) of them are casual staff, most of them handed over by the previous ineffective system. How do you get 100%(one hundred percent) loyalty from casuals. Check them out, no safety uniforms, no boots, no proper orientation and training, no up to date tools and equipments, no proper remuneration, even sound vehicles to do the job are lacking, how do you get loyalty  from such a bunch? Instead, they will only help to sabotage the system.

I was in Warri recently and we had cause to go to BEDC to complain of a technical fault. There was nobody in the office to record complains. We asked for the officer  in charge and we were told he was not around. Can we report our fault? They said no until he comes. The fault had to wait for a  whole week before it was rectified; at the end of the month,they still sent the same estimated bill. And, this is supposed to be a customer focused organisation. I guess the same thing applies in all the zones.

A good product or service to sells itself,  will always enjoy good patronage, irrespective  of the price. The challenge is not in the tariff increase but in the service. DISCOs cannot ask for tariff increases when the service is not yet there. All that interest them is to collect money and disconnect supply to consumers, the disconnection being more motivated by the induced cash from consumers. They are supposed to be joint partners in progress, given the strategic nature of power to the overall survival of this nation but theirs is a different purpose. The real professionals have been sidelined, so, those you see coming out to speak for them are lawyers as in Lagos and bankers in Benin.

Consequently, professional advice is subsumed for other interests. They cannot collect tariffs from certain categories of people, therefore they have to over bill those who faithfully pay. this is like robbing Peter to pay Paul. They are expected to interact with communities that they relate with through their leaders and other traditional authorities and form security network around such areas so that saboteurs can be easily identified.

They are supposed to ground their officers properly to attend to customers needs, especially as it concerns faults and over billing. They are supposed to bond with the people that they offer service to, instead of the Lord and master relationship that presently prevails, not caring for the hardship that they have imposed on the people, especially the much exploited SMEs (small medium enterprises). It is important that the DISCOS change their ways and mode of operation , else, they will continue to dance the disco; bobbing, shuffling, weaving and cycling on the same spot without any meaningful progress.