Abuja – The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill for an Act to amend the Electric Power Sector Reforms Act, to prohibit and criminalise estimated billing by electric distribution companies, as well as provide for compulsory installation of prepaid meter to all power consumers in Nigeria.
The Bill sponsor, House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila while leading the debate during plenary on Tuesday proposed that all cases of illegal disconnection, refusal of the relevant distribution company to connect a customer after application, un-metering within 30 days of a customer applying for a pre-paid meter and estimated billing shall attract both civil and criminal liability.
He added that any officer found guilty shall be liable to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or to both such fine and imprisonment as the court may deem fit.
Citing section 94 of the act, the lawmaker also called for the prohibition of any person who performs any act or does anything or refuses, fails and/or neglected to carry out his lawful duties with intention to contravene or frustrate the implementation of sections 68 and 71 of the Act is said to have committed an offence.
He said upon conviction such person shall be liable to six months imprisonment or a fine of N1 million or to both such fine and imprisonment without prejudice to the right of the commission to cancel or suspend any license under this Act.
Gbajabiamila proposed the delete of the entire paragraph (b) of section 67 and replace same with a new paragraph (b) “the installations, maintenance and checking of pre-paid meters, tariff methodology and proscription of estimated billings”.
He added that the proposed Act be amended by creating new sections 68 to 72 to state that “Estimated billing methodology is hereby prohibited in Nigeria.
“Every electricity consumer in Nigeria shall apply to the Electricity Distribution Company carrying out business within his jurisdiction for a pre-paid meter and such consumer shall pay the regulated fee for pre-paid meter to be installed in his premises and the Electricity Distribution Company shall within 30 days of receiving the application and payment install the pre-paid meter applied for in the premises of the consumer.
According to the bill, customers who elect to buy their pre-paid meters through Credit Advancement Metering Implementation must state it in their applications and such customers must be metered within 30 days of the receipt of their applications.
“All electricity charges or billings to the premises of every consumer shall be based strictly on pre-paid metering and no consumer shall be made to pay any bill without a pre-paid meter first being installed at the premises of the consumer.
He proposed further that if a customer is not metered within 30 days after application has been duly made, the relevant electricity distribution company is prohibited from refusing to connect the customer or disconnect the customer in the event that the customer has been connected or estimate hisbills.
Among other amendment is Section 69 of the Act. It states that upon connection, the Electricity Distribution Company serving the consumer must inform the customer in writing on the nature of the meter installed, tariff methodology and all other services available to the customer.
Speaking in support of the bill, the deputy whip of the House, Mr. Pally Iriase (APC, Edo) said the privatization of NEPA has led us to financial oppression today.
Also in support, Mr. Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno) said “as representative of the people we are here to safeguard the interest of Nigerians. There is need for us to support this bill so that estimated billing will be rooted out of this country”.
But on the contrary, Mr. Sadiq Ibrahim faulted the foundation in which the distribution companies was sold.
Mr. Muhammed Gudaji (APC, Jigawa) condemned the bill saying the poor will not be able to afford the prepaid cards especially in carrying out laundry.
While other lawmakers like Mr. Wale Raji (APC, Lagos) called for more supply of transmission equipment not just criminalization of estimated billing alone.
The bill further called for the rename of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act to “The Principal Act”.
The matter was therefore referred to the House committee on power for further action.
What's the excuse about not supplying meters now? I'm sure Nigeria has domestic meter manufactures now. If people want to buy it they should so nobody had to deal with estimated billing.
