The Senate last week approved as commissioners of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) the four nominees forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The four nominees include Dr. Yusuf Ali (North Central), Chidi Ike (South East), Mr Nathan Rogers Shatti (North East), and Mr. Dafe Akpeneye (South-South).
The Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005, provides for the tenured appointment of seven Commissioners, with one of them designated as chairman/chief executive officer, and another as vice chairman.
Section 34 of the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act 2005, stipulates the Commissioners shall have five years single term tenure renewable for maximum of an additional tenure.
The first Commission was inaugurated in October 2005. The Second Commission was inaugurated December 2010. There were two interregnums between the first and second and the third Commission when interim administrative arrangements were in place.
NERC is an independent body, established to undertake technical and economic regulation of the Nigerian electricity supply industry. The Commission is to, among others license operators, determine operating codes and standards, establish customer rights and obligations and set cost reflective industry tariffs.
The Commission has its head quarters in Abuja, and has currently six zonal offices in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
NERC is mandated to see to the expansion of capacity and network by the issuance of licences for electricity generation, transmission and distribution, as well as the development of industry codes and standards, market rules and a multi-year tariff order in Nigeria.
In addition, the Commission is credited with various regulations and orders that have created an attractive and stable electricity market in Nigeria. These achievements have been made possible by ensuring that market transactions are rule based and regulatory interventions are preceded by robust consultative and stakeholder engagement processes to ensure transparency, fairness and accountability.
These qualities of transparency, fairness and accountability are critical to NERC as an independent regulator. The EPSR Act was thorough in ensuring this independence. The Act gave statutory recognition to, and enshrined the principle of regulatory independence.
The immediate past board of Commissioners, which is the third, was inaugurated on February 7, 2017. The confirmation of the new nominees by the Nigerian Senate is a follow-up to the consideration of two separate reports presented at plenary by the Committees on National Identity, National Population and Power.
The two separate presentations were made by Senators Ya’u Sahabi Alhaji (Zamfara North) and Gabriel Suswam, who both Chair the respective Committees. The nominees were confirmed after the chamber considered the reports.
By Chidi Ekpewerechi
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