The Federal Government says it has inaugurated an inter-agency committee to resolve regulatory and operational issues hampering the smooth transition and handover of the Aba Ring-Fenced Area to Aba Power Limited/Geometrics, which was effected on February 16, 2022.
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex A. Okoh while inaugurating the committee in Abuja, noted that after handover, APL/Geometrics in collaboration with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), commenced the transition and handover processes by setting up a joint Transition Committee.
He, however, added that certain issues cropped up.
Okoh listed these issues to include: “The Asset Transfer Agreement presumed that APL/Geometrics would generate and distribute power, which apparently is not yet the case; Power allocation and tariff in the Franchise Area; The terms and conditions of EEDC’s vesting Contract with Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) did not envisage APL/Geometrics; Service Level Agreement with Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
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“The provision and requirements of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Loan Agreement and the attendant escrowed control of all EEDC bank accounts; The centralised Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure for Metering and Meter Data Bases, Billing and Billing Data Base, Enterprise Resource Planning System and Infrastructure and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System in the Franchise Area; EEDC has APL/Geometrics employees who are no longer accountable to EEDC accessing and utilizing their metering/billing ERP and CRM systems, and The continued commitment of exited staff of EEDC under the control and management of APL/Geometrics in collecting revenue from postpaid customers for settlement of EEDC invoices from NBET and MO.”
The Director-General said that to resolve the issues amicably, EEDC in a letter to BPE requested the intervention of concerned government agencies hence the inauguration of the Committee.
Ibeh, Uzoma Chidi, Head, Public Communications of the BPE said in a statement that while charging members of the Committee to discharge their mandate expeditiously, Okoh said that they were chosen in recognition of their wide experience and knowledge of the subject matter; and expressed confidence that they would carry out the assignment successfully.
The Committee cuts across critical stakeholders, among them, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Company, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)- the Market Operator, is to conclude its assignment within 60 days. It is chaired by the Director, of Energy at the BPE, Mallam Audu Uba Mohammed.
