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Electricity bill payment not suspended – NERC

By BusinessNews Staff on December 4, 2013

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said the payment of electricity bills by consumers nationwide was never suspended in the newly privatised power sector.

Chairman of the Commission Dr. Sam Amadi stated this during a meeting between NERC and the new owners of the privatized firms in Abuja.
Amadi while responding to claims by the Distribution Companies (discos) on consumers not paying their bills said, “there is no suspension of payment of electricity bill in this country. Whether it is the new owner or the old owner, anybody who consumes light must pay. If you don’t pay and you probably have a meter, it will not be recharged.”
He called on electricity consumers to pay their bills and cooperate with the discos, just as he enjoined the new owners to enhance their customer relations and enlightenment, and comply with the various codes NERC has provided to enhance their operations.
Amadi also dismissed the claims of discos dumping the existing metering system and the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI).
“Any disco that thinks he does not want to continue with CAPMI plan will have to come to our office and show us a better plan, the metering must continue either on their metering plan or on the plan the regulator has put in place,” he said.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Vigeo Power and owner of Benin Disco, Mrs Funke Osibodu, said “I feel this meeting is the first and it should be more of understanding the status of the takeover.”
She noted that there are confusions which should be addressed collectively, especially with regards to public notions of the takeover.
“The public believes that they are not even supposed to pay anything until January and that the debt they owe before is written off,” she said.

[Daily Trust]

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