The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has ordered Electricity Distribution Companies to replace obsolete prepaid meters for their customers free.
It said that, according to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry Act, it is the responsibility of DisCos to replace faulty and outdated prepaid meters for their customers.
This mandate was outlined in a statement released by the regulatory body’s management and posted on its official X handle on Monday.
The directive follows recent reports of some electricity companies asking customers to replace Unistar prepaid meters.
Recall that Ikeja Electric Plc and Eko Electricity Distribution Company asked energy consumers on their networks with the old Unistar prepaid meters to change them on or before November 14, 2024, or risk being moved into the estimated billing category.
This sparked outrage, causing NERC and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to wade into the matter, asking Ikeja Electric and EKEDC against phasing out the meters, particularly after Unistar claimed there was nothing wrong with its devices.
The criticisms that trailed the actions of the two DisCos were because of the increase in the prices of the meters, particularly at a time when many Nigerians are battling with a harsh economic crisis caused by high inflation and energy costs.
But in a statement on Monday, NERC, which regulates the electricity sector in the country, said it is not the duty of customers to pay for the replacement of their meters, urging them to report any DisCo forcing them to part with their hard-earned money for a new meter.
It also reiterated that no customer should be subjected to estimated billing.
The statement read, “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission is aware that some Distribution Companies have instructed customers to apply and pay for the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters within their franchise areas.
“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 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 further urged affected customers to report any incident via dedicated phone lines and e-mail addresses.
“The commission restates its commitment to protect customers’ interests and rights by ensuring compliance with established regulatory standards and enforcing regulatory penalties for non-compliance by its licensees.
“We urge customers to report cases of non-compliance to the Order by any DisCo,” the statement read.