The Electricity Power Reform Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 passed by the House of Representatives last Tuesday prohibiting and criminalising estimated billing has proposed a one year jail term and a fine of N1m for defaulters.

The proposed law, which will be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence and onward transmission to the President for his assent, also compels all electricity distribution companies to give prepaid meters to applicants within 30 days. If assented to, the law will bar a Disco from disconnecting a consumer after the 30-day period within which a meter should be installed.

Majority Leader of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, sponsored the bill in protest against ‘crazy’ billing of consumers by Discos. He said, “Any regulation that allows estimation of bills when actual consumption can be ascertained is against natural justice and equity and should not stand.”

The majority leader had also said the bill, when passed into law, would stop estimated billing. The House passed the bill upon adoption of the committee report on the proposed law, following a public hearing held on June 5, 2018. Sections 68 to 72 are some of the amendments to the Principal Act.

Section 68 states, “estimated billing methodology is hereby prohibited in Nigeria".

SOURCE: https://www.gist mania.com/talk/topic,382310.0.html

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