Assistant Director and Head of the Consumer Protection Department at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Anthony Essien, has underscored the importance of collaboration among electricity sector stakeholders to strengthen consumer protection across Nigeria’s electricity markets.

Speaking at a High-Level Electricity Stakeholder Engagement organised by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, in Abuja, Essien said the convergence of stakeholders would foster collaboration and coordinated efforts in serving the various electricity markets created under the current regulatory framework.

He explained that the engagement would also help ensure that all decentralised electricity markets, and not only the federal market, are able to provide effective protection for consumers within their respective jurisdictions.

According to Essien, the creation of state electricity markets, each with its own regulatory mandate, brings regulation closer to consumers and improves service delivery within the states.

In addition, Executive Commissioner for Market Competition and Rates at the Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, said that the Electricity Act 2023, together with the constitutional amendment, established a new framework for the power sector in Nigeria.

He noted that although regulatory fragmentation could create coordination challenges, effective synergy among regulators would make the system more beneficial not only for electricity consumers but also for investors operating across different states.

Dr. Ewelukwa added that continued coordination among the FCCPC, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions would provide a framework for regulatory harmony across the country, describing both state regulation and a platform for regulatory coordination as steps in the right direction.