BREAKING: Nationwide Jubilation As Acting President Osinbajo Humbles Fashola, Orders All Nigerians To Stop Paying Electricity Bills Until Further Notice
BREAKING: Nationwide Jubilation As Acting President
Osinbajo Humbles Fashola, Orders All Nigerians To Stop Paying Electricity Bills
Until Further Notice
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, through the
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has reminded electricity
consumers not provided with prepaid meters, to stop paying electric bills
presented by Distribution Companies, DISCOs, on the basis of estimated billing
methodology.
The Commission also ordered the DISCOs not to
disconnect any of such customers that refuse to pay the bills, and further
advised such customers to report to the Commission, if disconnected.
NERC gave the directive on Wednesday, in a statement on its
website, and said it was part of its sanctioning of defaulting DISCOs, who
failed to provide meters for its customers, before the March 1 deadline.
In line with its mandate of protecting the rights of customers,
NERC had in June 2016, after consultation with the operators, directed DISCOs
to conclude metering of all customers before November 30, 2016.
According to NERC, the Commission at the
expiration of that notice, granted three months moratorium, which expired on
March 1, to enable the DISCOs effectively execute the metering deployment plan
for MD customers.
According to the statement, the sanction was sequel to the
expiration of the initial directives by NERC, and the moratorium period given
to DISCOs to meter consumers.
The statement reads in part:
A directive was issued to distribution
companies by the Commission in June 2016 for all MD customers to be metered by
30 November 2016.
The Commission received appeals on compliance deadline
from distribution companies prior to the expiration of the 30 November 2016
deadline. The deadline was extended to 1 March 2017 after consideration
of appeals received from distribution companies.
Upon due consideration of facts above and the expiration of the
compliance deadline granted to distribution companies on the metering of MD
customers; the Commission hereby directs as follows –
1. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1
March 2017 shall not pay any electricity bill presented by a distribution
company on the basis of estimated billing methodology and these customers are
advised to report this to the Commission.
2. No distribution company shall disconnect
any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 on the basis of the
customer’s refusal to pay a bill issued after the compliance deadline on the
basis of estimated billing methodology.
3. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1
March 2017 should notify the Commission directly.
