BILL TO CRIMINALISE ESTIMATED BILLING SYSTEM BY DISCOS INTRODUCED IN HOUSE
BILL TO
CRIMINALISE ESTIMATED BILLING SYSTEM BY DISCOS INTRODUCED IN HOUSE
femi gbajabiamila
A bill
to prohibit the issuance of estimated electricity bill to power consumers
across the country has been initiated in the House of Representatives.
Sponsored
by the Leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos), the proposed
legislation has consequential orders criminalising such billings method which
many Nigerians considered as extortion – giving the electricity distribution
companies (Discos) discretion to unilaterally determine the estimation of
electricity bill to be paid by consumers in the event that such consumer does
not have pre-paid meter.
He
assured Nigerians that legislators irrespective of party affiliation, would
push through the masses-oriented bill until it is signed into law.
Gbajabiamila
added that it would permanently address complaints by constituents across the
country who have argued that the unfavorable technical manipulation of the
reading pattern of existing pre-paid meters led to incommensurate calculation
of purchased electricity credit and electricity consumed by customers.
Essentially,
the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (amendments bill) which had been read on
the floor of the House for the first time, would be further debated by the House
upon resumption from the Easter recess.
According
a press statement issued by the media aide to the House Leader, Mr. Olanrewaju
Smart, the bill became necessary following several complaints from constituents
across the country who felt that policy adjustments by the executive cannot
arrest the highhandedness of the electricity companies but instead called on
lawmakers to use full weight of the law to address the problem.
As a
result, the Principal Act is amended by creating new sections 68 to 72 as follows
to allow that estimated billing methodology is hereby prohibited in Nigeria.
It
stated that every electricity consumer in Nigeria shall apply to the
Electricity Distribution Company carrying out business within his jurisdiction
for a pre-paid meter and such consumer shall pay the regulated fee for pre-paid
meter to be installed in his premises and the Electricity Distribution Company
shall within 30 days of receiving the application and payment install the
pre-paid meter applied for in the premises of the consumer.
Further
subsection of the new Section 68 empowers electricity consumers to ignore
paying estimated bill and also exempts from electricity disconnection in the
event that no pre-paid meter was issued to them by their power distribution
company within 30 days.
The
bill stated: “If a customer is not metered within 30 days after application has
been duly made, the relevant electricity distribution company is prohibited
from refusing to connect the customer or disconnect the customer in the event
that the customer has been connected or estimate his bills.”
Also,
the newly introduced Section 69 of the 2018 Electric Power Sector Reform Act
(amendments bill) is poised to address the alleged technical manipulation of
the reading pattern of the existing pre-paid meters and unknown tariff
methodology.
It
noted: “Upon connection, the Electricity Distribution Company serving the
Consumer must inform the customer in writing on the nature of the meter
installed, tariff methodology and all other services available to the
customer.”
The
bill further recommends imprisonment of six months for officials of relevant
electricity distribution company found guilty of illegal disconnection, refusal
of the disco to connect a customer after application, un-metering within 30
days of a customer applying for a pre-paid meter and issuance will of estimated
billing.