Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) AKA Nepa don set demself up for wahala wit di Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and di National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) as dem dey insist say customers go pay for di replacement of dia functional meters.
FCCPC and NERC don already talk say customers no suppose pay for di replacement of dia meters.
As we check yesterday, DisCos still dey insist say customers must pay to change dia meters wey still dey work.
Di DisCos don talk say di affected meters go commot permanently by Thursday, November 14, 2024, and anybody wey no comply go dey for darkness.
One source for one Lagos-based Disco talk say any customer wey no gree pay go no fit recharge, and dem go cut dem electricity supply.
Based on customers’ complaints, FCCPC don talk say di interest of di consumers must dey protected by di DisCos as e take concern law and regulation.
Di Chief Executive Officer of di Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr. Tunji Bello, talk say dem don receive petition from electricity customers, and di agency go make sure say di rights of di electricity customers dey protected.
Head of Consumer Engagement for National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Zubair Babatunde, don also talk say dem go protect customers, especially on top di matter of meter replacement.
“Old meters no just suppose dey replaced, dem no suppose remove am without immediate replacement. Consumer no suppose pay to replace meters,” Babatunde talk.
Di DisCos dey ask customers to pay plenty money, up to hundreds of thousands of naira, to replace di current meters wey dem wan phase out.
For example, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) don talk say affected customers go pay N202,000 for di replacement of dia meters.
One source close to di DisCos talk say di Thursday deadline na serious matter, say na global standard say any electric meter wey don pass 10 years old suppose change.
Di source explain say TID Rollover na process wey go allow di meters to function well without wahala.
E talk say di Token Identifier (TID) na 24-bit field wey dey inside STS-compliant tokens to show di date and time di token dey generate.
Di source explain say NERC dey approve meter payment by consumers provided say di DisCos go later refund dem over time when dem dey recharge.
“NERC know say na di responsibility of DisCos to provide meters. NERC also know di challenge DisCos dey face to fund di meters. Dem get way to refund customers, and di customers don dey get refund for di money wey dem pay to get di meter through energy token over time to cover di meter cost.
“So, even those wey wan buy meter today go still get di refund, wey dey usually between three to five years,” di source talk.
Another source talk say customers go fit suffer if dem no follow di payment instruction, “because once dem don upgrade to STS 2.0, di supply of electricity to such meters no go dey guaranteed”.
Di source claim say DisCos don dey lose money as dem dey use di meters wey dem wan phase out, say di meters no dey accurate again.
“Dem (customers) know why dem dey vex say make dem no replace di meter. Dem don dey enjoy di system since. Once dia units don dey low, di meter no dey read well again, wey make di DisCos dey lose.
“Dem sabi all dis things, but dem no go talk am as e be. So, di earlier we get rid of di meters, di better for us because of di losses wey we dey get from dem. Na why we no fit waste time,” di source talk.
Another source for one of di DisCos talk say more than 30,000 customers don apply for di meter replacement.
Di source advise affected customers make dem grab di available meters instead of to wait for intervention meters, and dem assure say di customers go later get refund through energy token.
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