BY AKUDORO GLORIA
In line with the Consumer Protection Regulation, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has launched an app, the Power Outage Reporting System (PORS) to address consumers’ complaints to distribution companies (DisCos).
The Commission’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Engineer Sanusi Garba who unveiled the App on Monday in Abuja, said it was designed to assist the commission in monitoring DisCos’s compliance with the standards prescribed by recently launched Consumer Protection Regulation.
Engr. Garba however promised, that although the app was first launched in Abuja, it will soon be rolled out to distribution companies across states.
“AEDC is like a guinea pig for the app, but we will quickly extradite the rollout to other distribution companies but obviously, the DisCos where we are having the highest level of complaints will be ranked higher in terms of the rollout,” Garba said.
The NERC boss further urged electricity users to download the App and tender their complaints, noting that the commission will ensure that DisCos attend to the complaints.
The Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Mr. Christopher Ezeafulukwe who commended NERC for the initiative, and for considering AEDC as the starting point, described the App as ‘user-friendly’ that would enhance its engagement with consumers.
Ezeafulukwe added that the App was a product of collaboration between NERC and AEDC and by extension to customers which makes it a win-win goal for all.
NERC Commissioner, Consumer Affairs, Aisha Mahmud, addressed on the functionality of the App, stating that efforts were made in the developing of the App as customers’ data were extracted from different DisCos.
She explained that the initial conceptualization of the App was for the commission to have full control, including the development, management, implementation, operation, monitoring and it sustainability but decided to allow the DisCos to manage issues of power outages.
“Somewhere along the way, we believe that even though we have the technical expertise and the competent to run this project and implement it, we did hope that the distribution companies own the customers and when it comes to the issue of outages, the DisCos will be able to manage the issue of outages more than the commission, so based on that we decided to tag them along the project,” Mahmud clarified.
She narrated that the complaint process is seamless with the user downloading the App, inputing the meter number and lodging the complaint.
“If you have a complaint, what you need to do is download the app, input your meter number and then after that, log in with your complaint. The app will automatically send a confirmation to the customer on that particular feeder of yours by notifying if there is really an outage.
“If there is, then we need about two to three customers to confirm that there’s an outage on that particular feeder. As soon as they confirm that, the App will send the confirmation to the DisCos with a resolution timeline and as soon as the DisCo resolves this complaint, then the DisCo will update the app saying ‘We’ve resolved this complaint’, and the app will automatically send another confirmation request to those customers on that particular feeder,” Mahmud said.