{"id":121253,"date":"2025-08-06T20:09:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=121253"},"modified":"2025-08-06T20:09:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:09:19","slug":"power-cut-you-cant-hold-nigeria-to-ransom-focpen-warns-discos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/power-cut-you-cant-hold-nigeria-to-ransom-focpen-warns-discos\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Cut: You can\u2019t hold Nigeria to ransom, FOCPEN warns DisCos\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By \u200eDaniel Adaji<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eThe Forum for Commissioners of Power and Energy in Nigeria (FOCPEN) has issued a stern warning against what it described as a dangerous abuse of power by electricity distribution companies (DisCos), stating unequivocally that \u201cDisCos cannot hold Nigeria to ransom.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eThis warning followed the deliberate reduction of power supply to Enugu State by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC), an action FOCPEN described as \u201creckless\u201d and \u201ca declaration of war on the good people of Enugu State.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eIn a statement on Wednesday, FOCPEN condemned the power cuts, attributing the outages to EEDC\u2019s protest against a new tariff order from the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission. The order, which took effect on August 1, 2025, had reduced Band A electricity tariffs from N209\/kwh to N160\/kwh for EEDC\u2019s subsidiary, MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eRather than seeking redress through legal or regulatory processes, FOCPEN said EEDC responded by reducing power supply to Enugu by as much as 50%, a move the forum described as \u201cblackmail.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e\u201cFOCPEN wishes to state unequivocally that if MainPower or EEDC believe the tariff as set by the Regulator is inadequate, the appropriate and legal path is to seek a review through established regulatory processes. To resort to an arbitrary disconnection or reduction of power by up to 50% to a State, smacks of blackmail by EEDC,\u201d the statement read.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eThe forum also warned that the implications of such actions extend far beyond Enugu. \u201cEEDC&#8217;s action sets a dangerous precedent for other DisCos to undermine the successful implementation of the Electricity Act 2023 and decentralization of electricity regulations,\u201d FOCPEN stated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eIt further noted that the incident reflects the weakness in the current market structure, highlighting the flawed privatization process that, according to FOCPEN, \u201chas empowered private investors of DisCos to deprive citizens of essential electricity services with impunity.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eCalling for immediate intervention, FOCPEN urged the Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu, to step in and ensure that NERC and EEDC reverse the cuts and restore power to Enugu.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e\u201cAs the chief policy maker for the sector, the Minister must take decisive action to stop the lawlessness by DisCos who can arbitrarily and without consequence deprive citizens of electricity,\u201d the forum appealed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eThe group also demanded regulatory reform to protect sub-national electricity markets. According to them, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) must develop appropriate regulations that enable sub-national utilities (SubCos) to independently procure wholesale electricity from GenCos, bypassing the control of Holding Companies (HoldCos), which currently dictate the terms of power distribution.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eFOCPEN called on NERC to sanction EEDC. \u201cThe Commission must prove that it has the teeth to regulate the NESI as the apex regulator and protect consumers from the tyranny of powerful Successor DisCos HoldCos that are currently its licensees,\u201d the statement said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eBoth the Chairman and Acting Secretary of FOCPEN signed the release, stating that they would continue to monitor the situation and would not hesitate to act further to protect the rights of electricity consumers across Nigeria.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e\u201cFOCPEN stands in solidarity with the people of Enugu State and call on all relevant authorities to address this crisis with the urgency it deserves,\u201d the statement added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200e<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By \u200eDaniel Adaji \u200e \u200eThe Forum for Commissioners of Power and Energy in Nigeria (FOCPEN) has issued a stern warning against what it described as a dangerous abuse of power&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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