NERC Promises 4 Million Meters To Consumers

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has said that it will soon provide four million prepaid meters to electricity consumers in the country.

NERC Commissioner in charge of Consumers Affairs, Aisha Mahmoud disclosed this at the Customers’ Complaints Resolution Meeting Organised on Tuesday in Jos.

Mahmud, who described the shortage of meters in the country as one of the biggest problems currently facing the commission, hinted that the challenge would soon be a thing of the past.

She said that modalities had been put in place to provide the meters through the National Mass Metering Programme (NMP) of the Federal Government.

”Actually, metering is one of the biggest challenges that we have been facing in the last couple of years in the commission.

”I don’t think this is funny given that so much investments have been made in the power sector.

”It is said that in Nigeria, electricity generation started in Lagos as far back as 1826 with 20 megawatts. 126 years down the line, we are still talking about basic things as metering, a phase we should have passed a long time ago.

”Aside many interventions in that regard, including the zero phase of the NMP where over one million meters were provided, the first phase of the initiative will make available four million meters to customers,” she said.

Mahmud, who said that all preparations had been concluded for the mass metering programme, explained that funding for the project would come through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

”We shall make available these meters to customers through the distribution companies and this is to show that the regulator is not just sitting but making efforts to see that all Nigerians have access to metres.

”So, we shall do all it takes as regulators to ensure that the issue of metering becomes a thing of the past. I strongly believe that with the plans ahead, we will overcome this challenge soon,” she said.

Mahmud also attributed the increasing rate of electricity tariff to inflation, rising exchange rate, cost of gas, labour generation, and other economic realities in the country.

”Inflation has gone up to double digit, exchange rate, even the official rate is crazy, operators purchase most of their equipment abroad using the current exchange rate. The cost of labour keeps increasing, among other factors,” she explained.