Olukayode Akinrolabu, a renowned power sector expert, has called on President Bola Tinubu’s government to take a more proactive and customer-focused approach to address the exploitation and marginalisation of consumers in the energy sector.

Mr Akinrolabu, chairman of the Customer Consultative Forum for Festac/Satellite Town, Lagos, made this recommendation on Sunday in an interview.

He stressed the need for healthy competition in the sector to reduce overhead costs.

Mr Akinrolabu also highlighted the issue of frequent grid collapses, which he believes can be mitigated through better monitoring and reporting of maintenance, upgrades to existing infrastructure, and the development of regional and independent state power generation.

Mr Akinrolabu recalled that there were 10 major system collapses in 2024, and unfortunately, the situation persists, with root causes including carelessness, inadequate monitoring, and insufficient maintenance.

To improve the power sector, Mr Akinrolabu emphasised the importance of addressing the metering gap in Distribution Companies, eliminating estimated billing, and enforcing stringent sanctions on errant customers and DisCos.

He expressed the hope that the challenges faced in 2024 would lead to radical reforms to prevent system failures in the new year.

Mr Akinrolabu advocated for structural reforms, including modifications in how energy allocations are managed. He suggested that DisCos should be allowed to manage their allocations and distribute meters to customers directly.

He proposed that the Central Bank of Nigeria fund DisCos for capital projects. He also decried the existing tariff structure, describing it as inefficient, discriminatory, and oppressive.

According to him, many customers are placed in higher tariff bands than they can afford.

He further called for independent regional power generation autonomy, stressing the need for investors to foster healthy competition and drive down costs.

“Estimated billing cannot be eliminated until a sophisticated system to track consumption is put in place, and digital meters are distributed to all customers,” said Mr Akinrolabu. “Until then, estimated billing is nothing short of daylight robbery.”

He added, “All installations must be secured in collaboration with host communities. The government should impose severe penalties on those responsible for vandalism.”

(NAN)