By Niyi Adekanye
Following strident public criticisms,the country’s electricity distribution companies have launched a public relations campaign to defend their position.The PR campaign which was launched early this month,June 2016 is actually an advert which says that the electricity distribution companies only get about 26 per cent of what electricity consumers pay.Whereas,the Federal government and electricity generation and transmission companies get the lion share of over 74 per cent.
The eletricity companies have come under a barrage of public criticism in recent month over a plan by them to increase elecrticity tariffs by about 45 per cent.
A few months when the Minister of Works,Power and Housing,Babatunde Fashola announced a traff increase of about 45 per cent there was public outcry against the move.
That prompted the National Assembly to hold a session on the government decision which overturned the tariff increase.In spite of the National Assembly’s resolution cancelling the tariff increase,an angry Nigerian public have blamed the DISCOs has they are known for the
Planned increase.The public percieves tham as greedy,profiteering business concerns.But the DISCOs are not taking things lying low.They are fighting back.Initially,they argued that the price increase will go a long way in allowing them to provide adequate power supply to Nigerians.
But it appeared the public was not buying that argument.The predominant view of the majority of Nigerians is that the DISCOs want to make profits -- even more profits, without a commensurate service delivery.
The PR campaign by the DISCOs appears aimed at countering their negative perception by the Nigerian public who see them as profiteers.The DISCOs are saying from all this money you are billed ,we only get 26 per cent. In the campaign which is in the Press,in some national newspapers,they described themselves as ‘mere collecting agents for the generating comapnies and the government.
Nonetheless the campaign has been low key and is yet unclear what impact it will have in repairing the DISCOs negative public perception.