Court’s judgement on tariff review reversed, to be re-visited ― Fashola

 

Court order which declared the tariff review process illegal has been reversed and to be tried afresh, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola on Monday stated.

He also disclosed that measures have been put in place to recover about N100billion debts owed to Generation Companies (GenCos) by international customers comprising of Republic of Benin and Niger.

The Minister stated this at the 20th monthly meeting with operators in the power sector, hosted by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) at the Z05 Injection Substation along Owerri-Onitsha Road, Owerri, Imo State.

Fashola who commended the Court of Appeal’s intervention on the case involving tariff review stressed the importance of the judiciary and law enforcement in the power sector.

He said:”On behalf of the entire sector we welcome the intervention in the Court of Appeal in the case involving the tariff review.

“The order of the Trial Court which declared the tariff setting process illegal has been reversed and the case is now to be tried afresh.”

While also citing an instance of a recent conviction of one Okechukwu Anoke sentenced to 3 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court Abakaliki for tampering with electricity fittings, he said;”We welcome this judicial support to stop corruption in the power sector, enforce the law and promote liquidity in the sector.

“This comes on the heels of similar support from no less an office than that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria who has issued practice directions for the full enforcement of Arbitration clauses in power contracts so as to take such cases out of the tedium of regular trial and place them in the hands of commercially sensitive adjudicators.”

On the recovery of debts from international customers, the Minister said;”…. you will be notified of how much has been received when the appropriate accounts confirm that they have received value for the credits we have been notified of.”

He reaffirmed the approval of the verified sum of Federal Government MDA debts of N25.9 billion payment to electricity distribution companies (DisCos).

“You will be receiving official communication of how these have been applied to reduce debts owed by DisCos to NBET,” he added.