Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said that N7.9 billion is required to bridge the metering gap in Kano.
The commission, which disclosed this yesterday during the launch of its Kano Forum Office, as a measure to further its commitment to fair regulation for consumers and providers, also revealed that 269, 524 Kano residence have been metered.
The Forum is to handle all complaints by consumers of electricity in Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states respectively, in addition to serving as complaint redress mechanism to resolve customer complaints that are not resolved at Distribution Company level.
Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary to Kano State Government, Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, who represented the Governor, regretted that though Kano is one of the most populous States in the nation and ranks second in industrialisation, more power is distributed to other states.
He lamented the closure of many industries in the state due to lack of electricity, saying this has increased the rate of unemployment.
He disclosed that Kano state government has signed MoU with German Company to generate 15MW of solar in the state. "Another 35MW is to be generated from Shalawa and Tiga Dams. With these on board, and also what we hope to get from Kano DISCO, we are sure that many industries will function again," he affirmed.
He pledged the support of the Kano State government in providing the enabling environment that would see the Forum succeeds in its task.
In his address, the representative of the Chairman/CEO, NERC, Abba Ibrahim Armiya'u, said, "NERC has been active in the discharge of its statutory duties. One of it is to safeguard the interest of its customers, at the same time ensuring that the service providers' rights are not comprised.
"The well being of our customers is sine qua non to our viability and sustainability in business, therefore, this Forum office has been established to handle all unresolved electrical disputes between this company and aggrieved customers in the three States of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina.
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