NERC Directs DisCos to Carry Out Customer Enumeration

By Emmanuel Ukumba in Lafia

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed all electricity Distributions Companies (DisCos) in the country to carry out customer Enumeration in their domains by March 31, 2019.

NERC gave the directive through its consumer affairs commissioner, Dr. Moses Arigu, at the commissioning of the customer complaint office in Lafia yesterday.

The consumer affairs commissioner stated further that the exercise was very important for the customers and one of great benefits that could improve metering.

He revealed that “it is on record that within the period January to September, 2018, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) recorded 1,123 complaints from customers within Lafia and its environs who were dissatisfied with services rendered.

“Majority of these complaints have been on voltage and billing issues. These excludes complaints made and forwarded through other channels.

“The Commission notes the recurring complaints on estimated billing which is mainly due to low metering status in the sector.”

It is for this purpose that Arigu said the commission has introduced measures to accelerate metering through the Metre Access Provider Regulation of 2018 and was very closely monitoring Electricity Distribution Companies metre roll out plan.

The commission equally noted the re-curring complaints on estimated billing which was mainly due to low metering on the sector.

He said: “The present metering gap in Abuja DisCo alone is about 1,060,786 when compared to its total customer size of over 1,589,000 it presented to the commission, representing 67 percent deficit in metering it as at October, 2018.”

He however continued with a note of gratification that the Abuja DisCo has commenced the procurement of Metre Asset Provider, combined with their metre roll out plan in accordance with the performance agreement signed with the government under the privatisßation programme
and monitored by the Commission.”

According to him, “this will inject an average of about 100,000 metres into the Abuja DisCo network annually over the next five years. It is expected that the present metering gap would be closed within the next three years.”

Arigu concluded that it is expected that with the establishment of the Customer Complaints Forum Office in Lafia, customers who are dissatisfied with their resolution by Abuja DisCo can seek further relief from Customer Complaints Forum Office within the locality.

Also speaking, the Director, Coporate Services of the AEDC, Dr. Abimbola Odubiyi, appealed to customers of the electricity distribution company not to take law into their hands by avoiding vandalism, illegal connection and attack on staff of the organization.