尼日利亞尋求電錶計價，增長電力產出

Only 40 percent of Nigerians have access to electricity and less than half of those people receive their power through meters that measure how much electricity they use. In Abuja, the capital, stealing and overcharging for electricity usage are common practices - so much so that officials say the problem amounts to a national emergency.

在尼日利亞，只有百分之40的尼日利亞人能夠用上電，其中只有不到一半的人是通過測量電量的電錶來用電。在尼日利亞商業首都阿布賈，偷電以及多收電費的情況司空見慣，以致於官員們表示這個問題成爲整個國家的緊急事務。

At a hearing in the Nigerian capital, a panel of energy officials listens while community members report on their electricity woes, which are many and common among urban Nigerians. In the rural areas, access to electricity is not all that common.

在尼日利亞首都的一次聽證會上，一些能源官員聽取社區居民報告他們用電的痛苦經歷，他們的經歷對於很多尼日利亞城市的居民來說都很尋常。在尼日利亞農村地區，能用上電就很不尋常。

Joel Oziri says he is charged almost $20 a week for electricity that is available just a few hours a day. He paid for a meter years ago, so the electric company could measure his usage, but it never arrived. When he demanded they deliver the meter before he would pay, his electrical power was cut.

喬埃爾•奧茲裏表示，他一個星期的電費差不多20美元，而每天供電時間只有幾個小時。他幾年前就要花錢安電錶，這樣電力公司就能夠測量他使用的電量，但是電錶從來沒有安好。當他要求供電公司先裝電錶，然後他才繳費之後，他的電力供應被切斷。

“They will cut off and tell you, you have the right to pay. Whether you like or not, you have to pay it. Which is unfair,” said Oziri.

他說：“他們會斷電，然後告訴你你有繳費的義務。不管你喜歡與否，你都得繳費。這是不公平的。”

Officials say complaints like this are only part of why metering is a key factor in developing the electricity sector, which is essential to developing Nigeria. The lack of electrical power plays a role in almost every problem Nigeria faces - from security, to poor national health, to economic problems. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and largest oil exporter, but it does not have refineries to make use of its own oil supply.

官員們表示，類似這樣的抱怨反映出爲什麼電錶計價是該國發展電力的一個關鍵因素。開發電力是發展尼日利亞必不可少的環節。尼日利亞面臨的幾乎每個問題都跟缺電有關，無論是安全問題，國民健康狀況很差，還是經濟問題。尼日利亞是非洲人口最多的國家，也是最大的石油出口國，但是本國卻沒有煉油廠來加工本國需要的石油供應。

As the Nigerian government seeks to privatize the energy sector to boost electrical output, officials say customers can steal electricity and companies can overcharge for usage because many electrical connections are not metered.

尼日利亞政府尋求把能源部門私有化，以此來提高電力產出。官員們表示，消費者能夠偷電，電力公司也可以多收電費，因爲很多電力連接輸送環節都沒有電錶的測量。Metering

Shittu Shaibu is the strategy and project manager at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. He says without more metering, the addition of private companies to Nigeria’s electricity sector will lead to an explosion of lawsuits. He says the current system could also open the door for international corporations to exploit regular Nigerians.

尼日利亞電力監管委員會的戰略和項目主任沙伊布說，必須安裝更多的電錶，否則會有大量法律糾紛。他說，現在的體系也會爲國際公司剝削尼日利亞人打開大門。

"Metering is critical because without metering, the distribution companies cannot first and foremost get their revenue," said Shaibu. "And secondly, there will be a lot of exploitation of the customers."

他說：“計量設施非常關鍵，因爲沒有計量，送電公司就無法第一時間獲得收入，其次，會產生大量對消費者的欺詐剝削。”

Shaibu says 60 percent of the people who have access to electricity are not metered and this lack of organization can discourage potential investors.

沙伊布表示，用電者當中，百分之60的人沒有計量電錶，這種缺乏良好組織的情況會讓潛在的投資者望而卻步。

Other Nigerians say metering energy is important, but not nearly as important as finding a way to get electricity into their homes. Alexander Akinwale, a shop owner who lives in the capital, says his neighborhood has not had electricity for the past two years.

一些尼日利亞人則表示，能源計量固然很重要，但是要首先讓電力進入他們的家庭。亞歷山大•阿金瓦勒是生活在首都的一家店主。他說，他的鄰居過去兩年一直用不上電。

“The first issue now is to have the light. When we have the light then any issue of or any challenges that come, we will tackle it,” said Akinwale.

他說：“當務之急是有電可用。當我們點上電燈，然後我們會解決任何問題或者任何由此產生的挑戰。”

Industry regulators say they are conducting a nationwide inquiry on electrical metering. They say they are devising a plan to solve the metering problem, regardless of whose interests may be at stake.

電力工業管理者表示，他們正在全國範圍內調查電錶的情況。他們說，不論裝電錶對誰更有利，他們正在制定解決電錶問題的計劃。