The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed Nigerians who don’t have a prepaid electricity meter to stop paying electricity bills.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the agency reminded the public that Nigerians who aren’t provided with prepared meters by March 1 are to stop paying electric bills presented by Distribution Companies (DISCOs) on the basis of estimated billing methodology.
The commission also ordered the DISCOs not to disconnect any such customer that refuses to pay the bills and further advised such customers to report to the commission if disconnected.
This step is part of sanctions imposed on defaulting DISCOs who failed to provide meters for its customers before the March 1 deadline, NERC said.
Here are the directives stated in the statement:
“1. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 shall not pay any electricity bill presented by a distribution company on the basis of estimated billing methodology and these customers are advised to report this to the Commission.
“2. No distribution company shall disconnect any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 on the basis of the customer’s refusal to pay a bill issued after the compliance deadline on the basis of estimated billing methodology.
“3. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 should notify the Commission directly.