The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has warned electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to refrain from instructing customers to pay for the replacement of faulty or obsolete meters within their designated service areas.
NERC stated that the directive goes against its Order No. NERC/246/2021, which outlines the structured approach for replacing faulty and obsolete end-use customer meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
The order, according to NERC, clearly states that no customer with a meter should be forcefully migrated to estimated billing.
“If any customer’s meter is adjudged by any DisCo to be obsolete or faulty, it is the responsibility of the DisCo to replace the meter free of charge, provided that the fault was not caused by the customer.”
The commission restated its commitment to protect customers’ interests and rights by ensuring compliance with established regulatory standards and enforcing regulatory penalties for non-compliance by its licensees.
“We urge customers to report cases of non-compliance to the Order by any DisCo” the commission said. The DisCos’ inability to replace faulty equipment has, consequently, strengthened the call for a $500 billion recapitalisation to address the growing challenges.
