The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ordered electricity distribution companies, DisCos to replace obsolete prepaid meters for their customers free.
It stated that the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry Act requires DisCos to replace broken and outdated prepayment meters for their consumers.
This mandate was explained in a statement issued by the regulatory body’s management and shared on its official X handle on Monday.
The directive comes after allegations that some electrical suppliers are urging customers to replace Unistar prepaid meters.
Recall that Ikeja Electric Plc and Eko Electricity Distribution Company requested that energy consumers on their networks who had old Unistar prepaid meters change them by November 14, 2024, or face being moved to the estimated billing category.
This generated outcry, prompting NERC and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to intervene, advising Ikeja Electric and EKEDC against phasing out the meters, especially when Unistar stated there was nothing wrong with the devices.
The two DisCos’ actions were criticised because of the increase in meter charges, which came at a time when many Nigerians were dealing with a severe economic crisis caused by rising inflation and energy bills.
However, in a statement released on Monday, NERC, which oversees the country’s energy industry, stated that it is not the responsibility of consumers to pay for the replacement of their meters and urged them to denounce any DisCo that forces them to part with their hard-earned money for a new meter.
It also reiterated that no customer should be subjected to estimated billing.
The statement read, “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission is aware that some distribution companies have instructed customers to apply and pay for the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters within their franchise areas.
“This instruction contravenes the Commission’s Order No. NERC/246/2021 on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-use Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
“The order 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 statement also urged affected customers to report any incident via dedicated phone lines and e-mail addresses.
“The commission restates 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 statement read.
