Electricity supply to the Central Business District and other parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has continued to deteriorate as consumers experience constant power outages in the last one week.
This development is coming on the heels of the recent commissioning of a 60MVAR Capacitor Bank at the Apo 132/33Kv substation by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola.
Fashola had said that the Capacity Bank would improve the quality and voltage of electricity supply to consumers in the Territory.
The Minister of FCT, Alhaji Muhammad Bello also recently called on electricity generation, transmission and distribution companies to give priority consideration to the energy needs of Abuja by allocating more power to the FCT.
However, investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, revealed that most organisations, Maximum Demand (MD) customers in central area now resort to generator sets to power their installations as huge amount of money are budgeted for purchase of diesel daily.
The scenario is not different from other parts of the FCT.
Information gathered from residents of Kubwa, Wuse, Nyanya, Utako, Karu, Orozo, Kuje and Abaji revealed that consumers had been experiencing supply challenge ranging from load shedding, epileptic supply and outright non supply.
The persistent power outage, without a corresponding reduction in electricity bill is a concern for consumers in the central area and many other parts of the FCT, especially customers under estimation billing methodology.
An engineering staff of NAN, Mr Aaron Miller noted that constant outages in the agency had resulted in the damage of some electrical installations due to steady use of generator to power the appliances.
The members of staff are worried as non provision of electricity in the agency had become a bane in the discharge of their responsibility.
Meanwhile, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had said it has improved its electricity carrying capacity to 800 mega watts (MW) even as it maintained that it has not been getting anything near its capacity from the national grid.
The company had previously disclosed in previous response to claims that DisCos were weakest link in the electricity value chain, adding that AEDC had not gotten its full capacity from the grid.
AEDC had said that it was only entitled to 11.5 per cent of whatever is generated from the national grid in line with the allocation formula.
NAN reports that an Act which set up the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) ensures that consumers know their rights which includes “all customers have a right to be properly informed and educated on the electricity service.’’
Meanwhile, when NAN Correspondent contacted AEDC’s Head, Corporate Communications, Mr Oyebode Fadipe on telephone on reasons for the constant power outages in the affected areas, he said that he would find out from its team of engineers and get back to the reporter.
However, Fadipe did not get back to the reporter, and he refused to answer several calls put across to him.
(NAN)
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