A non-governmental organisation, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, and consumers in Abuja on Wednesday berated Electricity Distribution Companies for rejecting a proposal to put a ceiling on estimated billing.
It would be recalled that some distribution companies, at a public hearing on the establishment of an Independent System Operator and capping of estimated billing, rejected the proposal.
The hearing was organised by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The proposal was to ensure that unmetered consumers within same area received bills similar to their metered counterparts with minimal difference.
Kunle Olubiyo, the President of NCPN, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the proposal was due to complaints by consumers in the country.
Olubiyo said: “The proposal for capping of estimated billing across board nationwide emanated from the fact that there have been barrage of complaints from the consumers.
“It is a welcome development.
“It is a right thing to do.
“You cannot pay for energy not used.”
Olubiyo noted that with the drastic drop in energy generation in the country, companies cannot continue to supply energy commensurate with bills charged consumers.
“The truth of the matter is that with the drop in generation from 5,000 to 2,000, there is no way the companies can get supply and continue to give consumers to get the money they are charging,” he said.
Olubiyo suggested that with the state of energy emergency in the country, the companies should give the consumers a moratorium to pay half of the bill.
He said Nigeria had a metering gap of 175 million energy supply per capita, adding that Nigeria had a metering gap of three million.
According to him, most of the distribution companies are not in tune with the operations of the power sector before venturing into the business.
“Power business is a long time business; you don’t recoup your investment in one or two years,” he said.
A consumer, Larry Agbo, a resident of New Karu in Nasarawa State, described the attitude of the DISCOs as selfish.
Agbo urged NERC to go ahead and execute the proposal to save consumers from outrageous bills by distribution companies.
Benedict Aboh, a resident of Nyanya, said distribution companies were only interested in the revenue they generated even without power supply.
“The companies are just out to rip off electricity consumers in spite of the poor power supply,” Aboh said.
He said capping of estimated billing would go a long way to check the outrageous bills being charged consumers in the country.
NAN.
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