By Abubakar Yunusa
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has condemned the actions of electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) instructing customers to pay for the replacement of faulty or obsolete meters.
In a statement issued on Monday via its X account, the commission described the directive as a clear violation of its order.
“This instruction contravenes the Commission’s Order No. NERC/246/2021 on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete end-use Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry,” the statement read.
According to the regulatory order, DisCos are mandated to replace faulty or outdated meters at no cost to customers, provided the meter’s fault was not caused by customer negligence.
“The Order clearly states that no customer with a meter should be forcefully migrated to estimated billing. If any customer’s meter is adjudged by any DisCo to be obsolete or faulty, it is the responsibility of the DisCo to replace the meter free of charge, provided that the fault was not caused by the customer,” the statement added.
