The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ordered power distribution companies (DisCos) to start disconnecting electricity consumers who reject meters.
The NERC made this known on Wednesday as it observed that some power consumers were opposed to being metered, possibly to avoid paying exact cost of their power consumption.
Recall that recently, the Federal Government commenced the mass deployment of about six million meters across the country in order to halt estimated billing and improve service delivery in the power sector.
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Reacting to power consumers’ rejection of meters, the regulator on Wednesday issues an order mandating Discos to commence the disconnection of electricity users who opposed being metered.
The NERC’s directives to the 11 Discos were contained in various regulatory orders to the firms, for instance, Order No/NERC/220/2020, with the title, “Amended order on the capping of estimated bills for Yola Electricity Distribution Plc,” was issued to Yola Disco.
The regulator said the new orders were amendments to the previous ones on capping of estimated billing issued by the NERC in February 2020.
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In the latest regulatory instrument, the NERC declared, “Any customer that rejects the installation of a meter on their premises by (Disco) shall not be entitled to supply and must be disconnected by (the Disco), and shall only be reconnected to the network after the meter has been installed.”
The directives to the Discos, which were jointly signed by the NERC Chairman, James Momoh, and a Commissioner, Dafe Akpeneye, took effect from November 1, 2020.
The order further stipulated other things that must be adhered to by power distributors, particularly as regards the capping of electricity bills for non-metered power users nationwide
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This came as the acting Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that the recent collapse of the country’s power grid was restored within 40 minutes.
By Peace Obi
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