Ikeja Electric and Eko power Distribution Companies (DisCos) have been directed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to stop installing Unistar prepaid meters for power users.
The Commission also instructed DisCos to closely follow industry rules regarding charging unmetered customers and to include energy consumers before grouping them into bands. At a stakeholders’ meeting Tuesday at the FCCPC headquarters in Abuja, which was attended by representatives from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), several electricity DisCos, and Unistar Hitech Systems Limited, FCCPC’s executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, Tunji Bello, made the request to address urgent metering issues affecting Nigerian consumers.
The FCCPC ordered Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDP) to immediately stop replacing Unistar prepaid meters due to their disobedience with NERC’s mandate.
Bello brought up important problems that power users face at the discussion, such as inaccurate invoicing and poor customer service.
He expressed concern about practices that require customers to pay upfront for meters without reimbursement, which is a clear violation of the NERC Meter Asset Provider and National Mass Metering Regulations 2021. He also noted that systemic inefficiencies and a culture of impunity among some service providers have exacerbated these issues, resulting in the routine exploitation of consumers. Additionally, he pointed out that DisCos often put customers with malfunctioning meters on estimated billing, which is against NERC rules.
Bello gave the example of a complaint that the FCCPC got from a customer of Ikeja Electric, who was upset that they had to pay a substantial amount of money to replace a working meter.
The FCCPC has mandated that all meter replacement procedures be carried out in a transparent manner, with the DisCos bearing the expenses and not passing them on to customers, in order to guard against any exploitation.
Mr. Bello emphasized that in order to safeguard consumers against capricious charges and approximated billing, the FCCPC will enforce rigorous adherence to these statutory criteria.
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In order to prevent possible abuse by service providers, the FCCPC has pledged to improve customer education regarding metering and invoicing procedures. Bello ended by thanking NERC and NEMSA for their joint efforts to create an electricity industry that is open, accountable, and customer-focused. In order to protect consumer rights and encourage fair market practices, he reiterated the FCCPC’s commitment to implementing all applicable consumer protection regulations in the electrical sector.
Due to the DisCos’ failure to comply with NERC’s “Order on Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-user Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry,” the FCCPC has ordered that the replacement process be stopped. NEMSA and NERC agreed with the FCCPC’s position on the matter.
According to the NERC’s Order, DisCos are required to replace malfunctioning or outdated meters strictly and give priority to metering unmetered consumers under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP). According to these standards, DisCos must evaluate defective meters and include comprehensive information in the replacement notification, such as the date of the inspection, the credentials of the inspecting officer, the fault found, and the planned replacement date. Furthermore, since new meters must be set right away after removing any defective or outdated units, DisCos are not allowed to put customers on anticipated billing because of meter replacement delays.
