NERC to sanction DISCOs that failed to provide meters for customers

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says it will sanction DISCOs which failed to meter electricity customers in their networks before Feb. 28, 2017.

NERC in a statement on its website and obtained by News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday said that sanctioning of the defaulting DISCOs would begin on March 1.

It stated that the envisaged sanction was sequel to the initial directives by NERC and the moratorium period given to DISCOs to meter consumers.

The company that this was in line with its mandate of protecting the rights of customers had in June 2016 after consultation with the operators, directed DISCOs to conclude metering of all customers before Nov. 30, 2016.

According to NERC, the commission at the expiration of that notice granted three months moratorium which will expire Feb. 28, 2017 to enable the DISCOs effectively execute the metering deployment plan for MD customers.

It stated that any electricity customer yet to be metered as at Feb. 28, 2017 should report to the commission through any of its Forum Offices  in all the states of the federation.

NERC urged  customers  that  had advanced money to the  DISCOs through the now wound down Credited Advance Payment for Metering Initiatives (CAPMI)  to make use of the complaint redress mechanism.

“The Commission is by this notice advising electricity customers not to take laws into their hands by attacking staff of electricity distribution companies.

“They may wish to be guided not to resort to legal proceedings as the first option in seeking redress, but to explore the commission’s redress mechanism to save litigation cost and time.”