Order

The <a href="http://www.nerc.gov.ng" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission</a> (NERC), has asked all electricity distribution companies in the country to replace expired prepaid meters for Nigerians free of charge. This is followed by claims that some Discos companies ordered their customers to replace their Unistar meters for a certain fee. 
The Ikeja Electric Plc and Eko Electricity Distribution Company already ordered customers on their service to replace their old Unistar prepaid meters before November 14. They stressed that failure to comply will lead to migration into an estimated billing category. 
Following the outage between Ikeja Electric and EKEDC and their customers, the&nbsp; NERC and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission intervened and asked the two DisCos to halt their moves. This was also backed by Unistar’s claim that there was nothing wrong with its devices. 
According to NERC regulatory act –&nbsp; the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry Act, it is the responsibility of electricity distribution companies to change damaged or expired prepaid meters for their respective customers. 
This was contained in the regulatory body’s official <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/NERCNG/status/1858475247336350043" rel="noreferrer noopener">press release</a> on its X handle. “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,” the statement reads. 
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 <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="680" height="680" src="https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/NERDC-statement.jpg" alt="NERC press release " class="wp-image-239958" style="width: 100%;height:auto">
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 NERC’s press release
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“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,” it reads.&nbsp; 
NERC also emphasized that the replacement of meters is not the responsibility of customers. It then urged Nigerians to make a report of any electricity distribution company forcing them to replace their meters upon payment via phone lines and email addresses. 
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 <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="168" src="https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/download-1.jpeg" alt="Discos" class="wp-image-199268" style="width: 100%;height:auto">
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“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.”&nbsp; 
<h4 id="customers-reactions-following-nercs-statement" class="wp-block-heading">Customers reactions following NERC’s statement</h4> 
The decisions of the two DisCos on prepaid meter replacement have brought them a series of criticisms. It was frowned upon considering the current economic crisis caused by high inflation and energy costs. 
Several customers have reacted and expressed their opinions under the NERC X post. 
According to a user, @Okeke Danielle 
“This is what I’m suffering now. The estimated bills I received from @enugudisco made me visit their office and those in the meter unit came and inspected my Postpaid meter, only to say that it’s faulty and should be replaced at my cost. I even offered to pay for a prepaid meter.” 
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 <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="400" src="https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Untitled-design-92.png" alt="NERC raises prices of prepaid electricity meters&nbsp;by 40%" class="wp-image-209718">
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Another, @olowoyeyeisiah, 
“Thank you for this , my conlog iuc or ICU box suddenly stopped working, i took it to @IkejaElectric office but to my surprise I was asked to pay 18k to get another box, it was a staff of theirs who is a neighbourhood that asked me to send my meter and token to recharge or sub for me.” 
Also, @r2_specialist 
“They blocked my old meter from buying units after collecting money for 7 new meters despite the fact our old meters are functional. They brought only 4 meters out of the 7 and have not connected the new meters. I have not had grid power for a week now!” 
A user, @DVision27756 also reacted. 
“Thank you for your information. I am not sure this information applies to all DicCos as @IkejaElectric still requests its customers to pay for replacement of the old meter. Or could @IkejaElectric be operating under a different law. @NERCNG pls clarify this position with @IkejaElectric.” 
Also, @Legit9jahustler expressed his predicament in paying N90,000 to get his prepaid meter fixed. 
“Earlier this year, my Conlog prepaid meter suddenly stopped working after 2 years in use. I visited IKEDC Ponle repeatedly to lodge a complaint. They kept me posted without any visit nor replacement for almost 3 months. Was out of power. Had to cough out 90k to get it fixed.” 
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://technext24.com/2023/12/31/electricity-tariff-discos-increase/" rel="noreferrer noopener">NERC, DisCos reportedly set to increase electricity tariff from January 1, 2024</a>

NERC orders Discos to replace prepaid meters for free

Technext.ng

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