Financial support from the federal government for the production of meters has been identified as the only way to put an end to estimated billing by electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.
Vice-President, South-West, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ademola Agoro, stated this while speaking with journalists shortly after he featured as guest speaker at the 29th Arokodare memorial lecture organised by the NSE, Ibadan branch recently.
Agoro noted that: “What can be done to stop estimated billing of electricity consumers is to provide meters for every customer and the only way to achieve this is for government to support the provision of these meters.
“This is because the distribution companies which have the responsibility of providing the meters are lacking funds to make this happen. And it is only the government that can assist in this regard by coming in to help the citizens in order to have access to these electricity meters.”
Speaking on the topic of discourse for the lecture titled:”Distribution Network Losses:A Review Of Detection And Mitigation Techniques”, Agoro said:”As you know, we have a lot of problems with liquidity because what is being generated and transmitted is not what is being collected due to losses.
“There are two types of losses, the technical and non-technical. While the former has to do equipment and standards. That is making sure the right equipment is used, and up to standard. The former entails prevention of meter bypassing by people, and protection against energy theft. When all these are done, the energy generated will be close to the energy being consumed.”
He attributed the losses in the power sector to lack of data on imported materials, key components and devices used in the generation, Transmission and Distribution of electricity in the country.
He called on engineers to develop an automated system to detect and monitor technical bypass and errors so as to rid the power sector off estimated billing, sharp practices and corruption which had bedeviled the sector.
He said: “Engineers should develop a system that can monitor errors, as an engineer, there’s nothing you cannot automate so far there’s a speed device to achieve it.”
Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ibadan, Ibraheem Folarin Bello, informed that for almost three decades, NSE, Ibadan branch has been organising the annual Arokodare memorial lecture in honour of late Lawrence Oluwawemimo Arokodare, an engineering icon who he said contributed immensely to the development of engineering profession in Nigeria.
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