By Progress Godfrey
ABUJA — The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has called for stronger collaboration and harmonised regulatory frameworks among electricity sector regulators as states begin to establish and operate their own electricity markets.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello, said the implementation of the Electricity Act, 2023, had significantly altered Nigeria’s electricity regulatory landscape by empowering states to establish electricity regulatory commissions and oversee intrastate electricity markets.
Bello spoke at a stakeholder engagement on Consumer Protection and Regulatory Cooperation in Nigeria’s Electricity Sector held at the FCCPC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting brought together officials from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs).
He said the changing regulatory environment required cooperation among agencies with different but complementary responsibilities.
“Sector regulators bring deep technical expertise, while the FCCPC brings economy-wide experience in consumer protection and competition. Within the electricity sector, NERC provides sector-specific regulation, NEMSA enforces technical standards, the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions undertake intrastate regulation and the FCCPC contributes its cross-sector consumer protection mandate,” Bello said.
According to him, effective regulatory governance requires consultation, information sharing and mutual support among regulators to ensure consumers receive timely and effective protection.
The FCCPC boss said consumer protection should go beyond resolving disputes after they occur, stressing the need for preventive measures, early identification of risks and actions that would sustain public confidence in the electricity sector.
He cited the commission’s 2024 intervention over the planned replacement of obsolete Unistar prepaid meters as an example of effective regulatory collaboration.
Bello explained that the intervention followed concerns that consumers might bear the cost of meter replacements or face estimated billing and power supply disruptions.
“The obsolete meter intervention illustrates an important principle. The Commission respected NERC’s statutory mandate and recognised its technical expertise. We did not seek to assume the role of the sector regulator. Instead, we acted in a way that supported the existing regulatory framework and strengthened its effectiveness,” he said.
Also speaking, Assistant Director and Head of Consumer Protection Department at NERC, Anthony Essien, said regulatory convergence was essential to protect consumers across Nigeria’s emerging federal, state and regional electricity markets.
Essien noted that while state electricity markets would bring regulation closer to consumers, inconsistent standards across states could pose challenges for investors.
“Having a convergence like this is very paramount to foster collaboration and coordinated efforts towards serving the different electricity markets that have been created,” he said.
He added that harmonised regulatory approaches would strengthen the mandates of regulators and provide a coordinated framework for electricity market development across the country.
The Executive Commissioner of Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission (ASERC), Dr Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, said the Electricity Act 2023 and the constitutional amendment preceding it had created opportunities for states to play a greater role in electricity regulation.
Ewelukwa said the emergence of state regulators would improve consumer engagement and create a more direct relationship between investors and state authorities.
He added that closer cooperation among state regulators, FCCPC and NERC would reduce regulatory burdens for investors operating across multiple states by limiting variations in requirements.
Source: Vanguard News
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