The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Tuesday ordered Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDP) to engage with energy consumers before classifying them into bands and to strictly adhere to industry regulations when billing unmetered consumers.
This is even as the commission asked that the DisCos should immediately halt the replacement of Unistar prepaid meters due to their non-compliance with directives from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
This was disclosed in a statement posted via the Commission’s X page on Tuesday.
The directive was issued by FCCPC’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tunji Bello, at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the FCCPC headquarters in Abuja.
Representatives from NERC, the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), various electricity distribution companies (DISCOs), and Unistar Hitech Systems Limited attended the meeting, which aimed to address pressing metering issues affecting Nigerian consumers.
According to the statement, Bello highlighted significant challenges facing electricity consumers, including billing inaccuracies and inadequate customer care.
He cited an example of a complaint received by the FCCPC from an Ikeja Electric customer who was frustrated about being asked to replace a functioning meter at a significant personal cost.
To prevent potential exploitation, the FCCPC directed that all meter replacement processes be conducted transparently, with costs borne by the DISCOs and not passed on to consumers.
Bello emphasized that NERC’s order mandates DISCOs to prioritize metering for unmetered customers under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) and to follow strict guidelines when replacing faulty or obsolete meters.
“The FCCPC’s directive to discontinue the replacement process stems from the DISCOs’ non-compliance with NERC’s Order on Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-user Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. Both NERC and NEMSA have endorsed the FCCPC’s stance on this issue,” the statement reads.
“Citing non-compliance with NERC’s order, FCCPC directed Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDP) to immediately halt their replacement of Unistar prepaid meters,” the statement continued.
