Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the House would ensure that Nigerians get adequate supply for the electricity they pay for.
Gbajabiamila also said the House would give adequate attention to the practice of estimated billing by electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) to address the challenges Nigerians face.
He warned that the House would not tolerate a situation where Discos take advantage to present outrageous bills to Nigerians, hence the resolve of the lower House of the National Assembly to revisit it and come up with a law that would put a stop to the practice of estimated billing.
The Speaker, who stated these when he received in audience the management team of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), said it is the responsibility of the House to make life easy for the citizens.
Gbajabiamila said; “The issue of estimated billing has been in the front burner. It has been in this House, and we will revisit it soon. We can’t allow Discos to continue to do what they have been doing over the years.
“You said Discos need to be recapitalised. I don’t know what you mean by that. These are private companies, do you mean that the government should come in? Maybe you should explain more on that.”
While commending the current management of the TCN led by its Managing Director Malam U. G. Mohammed, Gbajabiamila tasked them to work closely with the leadership of the House and the relevant committees to achieve its goals.
He further said; “We’re going to be engaging you on the correlation between electricity supply and how to improve poverty. You have done well, I must commend you so far. But what we would like to know is for you to give us a breakdown of your real challenges, your real problems.”
The Speaker called for a periodic review of the performance of Discos, saying the house would do everything within its powers to ensure that TCN delivers on its mandate to Nigerians.
Earlier, the TCN MD Malam Mohammed said the company has been repositioned since the current management under him took over, adding however that some of the challenges have to do with Discos.
Mohammed noted that there has been no investment in the Discos, adding that they need 4.3 billion dollars investment at the moment.
The MD also noted that the past management of TCN under Manitoba did not perform well in the four years that it managed the company, with several challenges, including non-audited accounts for the period.
