The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has officially made public a new application meant to report electricity outages by Nigerians and reduce response time by power Distribution Companies (Discos).
The power sector regulator stated that aside from providing a platform for quick resolution of customer complaints, it will also act as a three-way interface between customers, Discos and NERC almost on a real-time basis.
At the launch of the pilot Power Outage Reporting System (PORS) at the NERC headquarters in Abuja, the Chairman, Mr Sanusi Garba, explained that the move will assist in fast-tracking service delivery in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Garba recalled that the commission had earlier launched a consumer protection regulation that provides timelines within which Discos are required to resolve customer complaints.
According to him, the inauguration of the application and its web-based version, will further help the commission in monitoring Discos’ compliance with the orders handed down by NERC.
He urged Nigerians, especially those in Abuja, where the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) will be the first franchise to experience the pilot programme before extending to other states of the federation to take advantage of the new app.
“This particular app we are launching today is supposed to assist the commission in monitoring that Discos to actually comply with the standards set out in that regulation,” he stated.
Aside from the AEDC in Abuja, Garba noted that the rollout to other distribution companies will be determined by the volume of complaints received by each power utility.
“A lot of progress has been made in smart metering, but this app, we are encouraging customers to go to google play store and Apple store to download these applications because it is supposed to help customers report disruptions to supply in their areas,” he added.
He noted that with the new app, Nigerians will no longer troop to Discos’ service offices nationwide, noting that the app can be operated from the comfort of one’s room. He added that all that is needed to log in is the meter number or a customer’s Account Identification number.
Emmanuel Addeh
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