An Analysis of Redress Options for Nigerian Consumers in the Electricity Market

Nigeria embarked on the reform of its electricity sector through a liberalisation programme aimed at improving electricity services. The reforms have included changes in the sector's legal and regulatory framework, including its customer protection regime. Despite liberalisation, the electricity market is still uncompetitive, with poor service levels, leading to high consumer dissatisfaction and disputes. This research aims to analyse the existing redress options available to Nigerian electricity consumers and evaluate their effectiveness in resolving consumer disputes. The study focuses on examining the major redress pathways, which are (a) the industry dispute resolution pathway comprising the Customer Complaints Unit (CCU), the Customer Forum, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); (b) private enforcement through the court and (c) public enforcement of consumer rights.

The research adopts a holistic approach to critically examine whether the different redress processes available to consumers in the Nigerian electricity market are fit for purpose. The research uses predominantly a mixed methodology of doctrinal and socio-legal methods using data from semi-formal interviews with key stakeholders to evaluate and examine consumer redress and answer the research question of how fit for purpose the various consumer redress options in the electricity market are in Nigeria.

The findings of this research will contribute to the existing literature on consumer protection in the Nigerian electricity market and provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of current redress mechanisms. The research contributes to the general understanding of consumer redress by focusing on how the design of sectoral dispute systems works to increase consumer access to justice. The thesis advances the view that to improve access to justice in the electricity market, the different pathways should work conjunctively instead of disjunctively, without one pathway seeking to supplant the other.