The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to submit a list of all customers who paid for meters in January, 2011, and commence metering them without further delay.
In a statement signed by the Assistant General Manager, Media, Maryam Yaya Abubakar, quoted the Chairman/ CEO of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, as saying that, “any DISCO that does not comply with this new directive will be barred from collecting the new electricity tariff.”
The commission expressed dismay that all DISCOs are in complete violation of the order as it relates to customers who have made payments within the given time frame as they have not been identified for metering, noting that NERC views this as totally unresponsive and undermining the effort of the reform.
The statement indicated that NERC had earlier in the year, issued an order on credited advance payment for metering implementation (CAPMI), to address the lingering issue of non-issuance of metres by the electricity companies.
It explained that CAPMI allows for any interested and willing customer to advance money to their electricity distribution company and in return be given electricity credit until the cost of the meter has been recovered by the customer.
The CAPMI order, amongst other things, stipulated that all distribution companies forward to NERC data of all customers who paid for metres but had not been supplied.
The statement indicated that in 2011, N2.9 billion metering intervention fund was made available to the companies with a view to closing the unacceptable metering gap, and that one year after, no appreciable progress was made by the companies.
The above scenario has “compelled NERC to demand for performance reports from the DISCOs. Eight of the 12 DISCOs submitted reports that fell far short of the requirements of NERC. The rest did not submit any report of how they spent the money.
“The DISCOs were further warned that failure to comply with the 14-day ultimatum would compel the commission to institute enforcement procedures that may result in the removal of a chief executive officer of an electricity distribution company,” the statement added.
The commission expressed dismay that all DISCOs are in complete violation of the order as it relates to customers who have made payments within the given time frame as they have not been identified for metering, noting that NERC views this as totally unresponsive and undermining the effort of the reform.
The statement indicated that NERC had earlier in the year, issued an order on credited advance payment for metering implementation (CAPMI), to address the lingering issue of non-issuance of metres by the electricity companies.
It explained that CAPMI allows for any interested and willing customer to advance money to their electricity distribution company and in return be given electricity credit until the cost of the meter has been recovered by the customer.
The CAPMI order, amongst other things, stipulated that all distribution companies forward to NERC data of all customers who paid for metres but had not been supplied.
The statement indicated that in 2011, N2.9 billion metering intervention fund was made available to the companies with a view to closing the unacceptable metering gap, and that one year after, no appreciable progress was made by the companies.
The above scenario has “compelled NERC to demand for performance reports from the DISCOs. Eight of the 12 DISCOs submitted reports that fell far short of the requirements of NERC. The rest did not submit any report of how they spent the money.
“The DISCOs were further warned that failure to comply with the 14-day ultimatum would compel the commission to institute enforcement procedures that may result in the removal of a chief executive officer of an electricity distribution company,” the statement added.
