Government cannot continue to make up for tariff shortfalls in power sector - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has officially launched the Eko Electricity Distribution Company’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition – Distribution Management System (SCADA-DMS) Centre where he reiterated the commitment of his administration to addressing the liquidity challenges, adversely affecting the power sector.

President Buhari, who was represented by the minister of power, Sale Mamman, at the official commissioning held at the Disco’s corporate headquarters in Marina, Lagos, stated further that his administration had noted with grave concerns the increased fiscal burden of the Federal Government occasioned by the tariff shortfall in the sector, which were longer sustainable.

“My efforts, via the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Power Assistance Fund (CBN PAF), are targeted at supporting tariff shortfalls. Such interventions can no longer be extended and must be phased out to promote the sector’s financial independence. We are also aware that these tariff shortfalls sit on Discos book and impair their ability to raise capital and invest,” he said.

The president commended EKEDC for attaining such a feat by bringing such innovative technology to life, saying, “EKEDC will now be able to promptly identify and resolve faults to ensure its customers continue to enjoy power supply. This is clear evidence that the present administration is committed to the improvement of power supply in the country.”

The minister also stated that the Mass Metering Programme embarked upon by the Federal Government in collaboration with the Discos would ensure the elimination of the metering gap and estimated billing challenging the electricity supply consumers.

According to a statement signed by Godwin Idemudia, general manager, corporate communications of EKEDC, he said the project was funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria via the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF) and was implemented in phases through a partnership with Tech Systems Limited, and a Canadian based company, M/S Survalent Technology, a leading technological company reputed in providing SCADA-DMS-OMS solutions.