NERC Says; "Nigerians, Know Your Rights!"

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is empowered by the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act, 2005 to ensure an efficiently managed electricity supply industry that meets the yearnings of Nigerians for stable, adequate and safe electricity supply.

The Act mandates the Commission to ensure that electricity operators recover costs on prudent investment and provide quality service to customers.

To ensure quality service delivery, it is pertinent that electricity customers know their rights as follows:

1. All new electricity connections must be done strictly on the basis of metering before connection. That is, no new customer should be connected without a meter  first being installed.

2. A customer who elects to procure meter under the Credited Advanced Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) Scheme must be metered within 60 days, after which the electricity customer will neither be billed nor disconnected by the electricity distribution company.

3. It is your Right to transparent electricity billing. Unmetered customers should be issued with electricity bills strictly based on NERC's Estimated Billing Methodology.

4. It is your Right to contest any electricity bill. Any unmetered customer who is disputing his/her estimated bill has the Right not to pay the disputed bill, but pay only the last undisputed bill as the contested bill go through the dispute resolution process of NERC.

5. It is your Right to be notified in writing ahead of disconnection of electricity service by the electricity distribution company serving you in line with NERC guidelines.

6. It is your Right to prompt investigation of complaints arising from your electricity service disruption.

7. It is not the responsibility of electricity customer or community to buy, replace or repair electricity transformers, poles and related equipment used in the supply of electricity.

8. All complaints on your electricity supply and other billing issues are to be sent to your nearest Business Unit of the electricity company serving your premises.

If your complaint is not satisfactory addressed, you can forward your complaint to the NERC Forum Office within the coverage area of your electricity distribution company. Electricity customers also have the Right to appeal the decision of the Forum at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission's Headquarters, Abuja.

Source: The Nation Newspaper, 11th March 2016. 

750 Naira Fixed Charge On Electricity Bills Is A Crime

In an interview with Nancy Illoh on the Money Show in Africa Independent Television, the former NERC Boss, Dr Sam Amadi stated that NERC has already mandated distribution companies (Disco's Etal) to stop issuing electricity consumers the fixed monthly charge of 750 naira. "If you're still being charged 750, it is a crime and you should report it", he said.
According to him, the development is to make the Disco's improve in the area of smart metering so that Nigerians can actually pay for what they consume.
He stated that with the fixed charge alone, the Disco's do make enough and hence are unwilling to distribute these meters.
It is also worthy of note that these meters are to be distributed free of charge. What warrants payment for a meter is dependent on the choice of the consumer. If you feel you can not wait long enough to get the free meter, then you can actually 'fast track' the process by paying for one.
Speaking about the 45% hike in the tariff, Dr Sam Amadi spoke a lot of English which kind of justifies the Disco's claim which can be likened to an experiment aimed at determining the response of Nigerians in the face of improved power supply.
This sounds funny. It's like I normally buy bread for 350 and the producer ups the price to 500 saying he wants to see if I will be willing to buy should he increase the amount of butter and egg in the bread...
Of course the response Nigerians have been giving is that they should see an improvement before anyone talks about increasing tariff.
God bless Nigeria.