The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said that electricity customers with faulty meters have the right to have it fixed within two working days by their electricity distribution companies (DisCos).
The commission’s General Manager, Finance and Management Services, Dr. Abdulkadir Shettima, made this disclosure in his paper presentation on Metering Issues at a recent NERC Workshop for Civil Society Organizations and Consumer Advocacy Groups in Kano state.
The General Manager maintained that after complaints had been received by a distribution company (DisCo), the customer’s meter should be fixed within two working days, pointing out, however, that there is an exception to this rule.
He clarified: “The customer has the right to repair or the replacement of faulty meters within two working days upon complaint unless the fault is from him in which case, he will be required to make an upfront payment. The customer also has the right to whatever credit that is on the old meter to be transferred to the new meter.”
On the other hand, Shettima explained further that the customer had some obligations to fulfil in the exercise, such as authorizing access to the meter and connection to the DisCos because a default could lead to disconnection, and ensuring the safety of the meter as well as preventing unauthorized access to the meter.
Speaking at the event, the NERC’s Deputy General Manager for Consumer Affairs Dr. Shittu Shaibu, gave insights on billing, and disconnection of electricity customers by DisCos by highlighting the obligations of the customer and the distribution companies.
He said: “For every bill that is given to a customer, the payment must be written on the bill. This is the most interesting part, and it has to be delivered by the agreed means, ten days before the due date. In the Customer Protection Regulations (CPR) 2023, the DisCo is mandated to give an additional two working days as grace period before disconnection.”
It would be recalled that the NERC had in May this year released the CPR of 2023 as a guide for both DisCos and electricity customers.
Specifically, the rules contained in the CPR which are meant to protect both parties from electricity supply connections, to meter readings in cases of relocation and disconnection of customers.
Earmier, precisely in April 2023, the power sector raultor released an electricity service charter that required that all electricity consumers who were yet to be metered, had the right to transparent billing and should be billed based on capping estimates.
The charter also stated that un-metered consumers must also be notified ahead of any plans to disconnect them from the electricity service.
