NERC
Reps charge NERC to stop estimated billing. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives gave the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission orders to pressure distribution firms to stop billing electricity customers in the entire nation on an estimated basis.
The House also requested NERC to take action against the DisCos for providing consumers with subpar electricity and to come up with ways to create compensation plans for people, communities, private businesses, and government organizations for their investments in the distribution network.
This comes just after the House further instructed its Committee on Power (when constituted) to communicate with NERC and DisCos to address the challenges preventing the country from having an effective power distribution system.
This came after Afuape Moruf, a representative of Ogun State’s Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, adopted a motion urging the regulator to address challenges faced by electricity consumers.
Moruf contended in his motion that the 11 DisCos around the country had continued to provide appalling bad services to customers, in violation of the Electricity Act of 2023.
He expressed concern about the fact that consumers pay for their meters, wires, and transformers, but DisCos can disconnect them at any time.
“The Distribution Companies raked in a whopping N247.33 billion in the first quarter of 2023 as opposed to N232.32 billion generated in the fourth quarter of 2022, representing a 20.81 percent increase compared to N204.74 billion generated in the first quarter of 2022 (year-on-year consideration,” he said.
“Whereas electricity supply declined from 5,956 (Gwh) in the first quarter of 2022 to 5,852 (Gwh) in the first quarter of 2023 (year-on-year comparison), despite an increase in earnings; distribution companies have demonstrated unfaithfulness to the social contract with Nigerians, as enshrined and strengthened by the transitional effect of the Electric Power Reform Act, 2005 to the Electricity Act, 2023.”
“NERC has stood by helplessly as communities, individuals, and business organizations took up the responsibility of providing electrical transmission facilities (meters, cables, and transformers) where they are either unavailable or malfunctioning.
“However, the commission can act within the framework of its own created service charter, which outlines consumer rights, obligations, expected service levels, and redress mechanisms.”
“While NERC watches the DisCos abdicate their responsibilities to communities, individuals, corporate bodies, and public institutions, no compensation mechanism has evolved to ensure either an outright refund of these third-party distribution network investments or a possible conversion of same to electricity credits for the use of these ‘investors.”