*Ban will bring relief if well enforce, Nigerians react
Presently, it said R2 customers cannot be billed for more than the worth of 78 kilowatt hour (kwh) of energy monthly which is about N1,800. Residents that consume less than 50kwh will be billed at N4 per kwh and a maximum of N200 monthly, adding that all other customers on higher tariff classes must be metered by DisCos by 30 April 2020, “Failing which these customers are not liable to pay any estimated bill issued by the DisCos.”
Following bold decision of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) barring the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) in the country from charging residential customers above an average of N1,800 monthly, Nigerians in their reactions are saying that the ban will bring relief, if effectively enforced.
The DEFENDER in Lagos, on Monday, said, much as they have confidence in the ability of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to actualise a checkmate on the “almighty DisCos”, that they looked forward to seeing capacity in terms of enforcement.
Clarifying the consumers’ position, be of them, who spoke under strict condition of anonymity, said: “These private owners have penchant for fraudulent behaviour and soc always find a way to still stifle the vulnerable customers believing they can get away with it.
“Just imagine in Agoro, an Ijoko CDA in Ogun State, IBEDC currently is asking us to pay N30,000 each house to buy transformer if we really want to have light. These are power people that, despite not supplying us light more than once in a month still give us heavy bill and don’t even want us to complain.
“For the government to have come with this decision, we believe them and see it as going to bring relief to us but they must watch out to areas I raised and ensure effective enforcement,” he said.
The NERC was last week reported to have banned DisCos from billion residential customers until they are metered.
In an Order 197 signed by the Chairman, Prof. James Momoh and the Commissioner, Legal, Licencing & Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, NERC said the new order repeals the 2012 estimated billing regulation effective since last Thursday February 20, 2020.
It also said electricity consumers have grown from five million in 2012 to over 10m by December 2019 but that about 52 percent of them are not metered and are placed on estimated billing by the DisCos.
NERC said the Meter Assets Provider (MAP) was initiated to increase the metering of consumers within three years.
“The Estimated Billing Methodology Regulation is hereby repealed and shall cease to have effect as a basis for computing the consumption of unmetered customers in NESI,” NERC noted.
It said all unmetered residential and commercial customers shall not be invoiced for the consumption of energy if they are not metered by April.
Presently, it said R2 customers cannot be billed for more than the worth of 78 kilowatt hour (kwh) of energy monthly which is about N1,800. Residents that consume less than 50kwh will be billed at N4 per kwh and a maximum of N200 monthly, adding that all other customers on higher tariff classes must be metered by DisCos by 30 April 2020, “Failing which these customers are not liable to pay any estimated bill issued by the DisCo.”
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, it noted.
