The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has barred the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) from charging residential customers above an average of N1,800 or 78 kilowatt-hours monthly until meters are provided to such customers.
NERC in an Order 197 signed by its chairman, Professor James Momoh ordered DisCos to meter customers.
The commission said all unmetered residential and commercial customers should not be invoiced for the consumption of energy if they are not metered by April 2020 when a new tariff will be implemented.
NERC further stated that the estimated billing methodology ceases to have effect as a basis for computing the consumption of unmetered customers.
The commission said Discos shall ensure that all customers on tariff class A1 in their franchise areas are properly identified and metered by 30 April 2020.
However, it warned that;
Any customer that rejects the installation of a meter on their premises by a Disco shall not be entitled to supply and must be disconnected by the Disco, and shall only be reconnected to the network with the installation of a meter.
It would be recalled that the minister of power, Engineer Sale Mamman while addressing journalists on February 19 advised DisCos to allow other investors into the power sector if they cannot perform their responsibilities.
Mamman said the current arrangement with the distribution companies is not sustainable, adding that;
We cannot continue like that. So, if they are ready to continue, fine, but if they are not ready to continue, maybe, they should give way to whoever that is ready to come and invest.
In the run-up to the 2015 elections, President Buhari in a document titled “Covenant with Nigerians” promised that “The APC government shall vigorously pursue the expansion of electricity generation and distribution of up to 40, 000 MW in 4 to 8 years.”
From 2015 to date, President Buhari has continued to give assurances that his administration will sort out the electricity sector crisis.
