The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), yesterday ordered electricity distribution companies to stop the reckless billing of customers.
Chairman of NERC, Sam Amadi after the monthly meeting with distribution and transmission companies said the arbitrary bills must be brought to an end.
“NERC has underlined the importance of following the methodology of estimated billing. We have made it very clear that it is the responsibilities of the DISCOs to meter the customers, even though we have time gap to bridge the metering deficit but we want to see real action on that.
“They have also indicated that they are continuing with the CAPMI, but it is a stop gap. We expect to see a robust metering plan but we have also insisted that in the interim, before everybody is metered, the reckless estimation must stop immediately.
“And that means three things, one, for customers, who have meters but not post paid meters, they have to go and read those meters, and for those who do not have any type of meter at all, NERC has provided a methodology that requires you to look at the amount of power you put on the feeder and that should be bench-marked with those who have meters and you see how you do your estimation.
“What is going on now really in some places is not estimation, it is arbitral because estimation is based on some formula. We have reiterated that they should go back to that methodology but ultimately the solution is fast tracking metering”.