Oredola Adeola
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that about 15 to 20 percent of Band A customers currently on estimated billing.
Dr. Musiliu Oseni, NERC Vice Chairman, highlighted this during an engagement with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in Abuja.
The Commission has therefore ordered the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to prioritize metering for unmetered Band A customers currently on estimated billings.
He stressed the importance of metering these customers as a top priority for the DisCos, noting ongoing initiatives by the Presidency and the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to enhance metering efforts.
The NERC VC further informed the CSOs and CBOs that the Commission require their support to put the DisCos on their toes.
He said, “There are few areas of collaboration that we will be seeking from you because of the role you play. NERC is here in Abuja but has at least one office across nearly all the states.
“But you are in those states and you are closer to the people with your customer base, so we really need you to work with NERC to put the licencees on their toes.
“Based on the tariff order that we have released, there are certain conditions that DisCos should meet in delivering service to affected customers,” Dr.Oseni said.
Dafe Akpeneye, NERC Commissioner, Legal, Licencing and Compliance,, in his contribution emphasised that the EPSRA 2005 did not adequately empower NERC to do all that it has to do as a regulator but that has changed now with the enactment of the Electricity Act.
He said, ” The Electricity Act is needed to bring people in line to follow due process, and you can see that the tone in the power sector is changing; we have not been able to do what we have been able to do before.
“NERC is empowered to go the whole gamut of regulatory and enforcement actions as expected of a regulator but we do not intend to abuse those powers. Our intention is to enforce those powers and to get licensees to comply, “Akpeneye said.
Advisors Reports gathered that the engagement with CSOs and CBOs aimed to enhance interactions with electricity consumers regarding recent tariff approvals, third-party investments in the electricity network, and combating energy theft.
