•Insists on refund of monies paid upfront for meters
Emmanuel Addeh
The federal government has said that it is the duty of the power Distribution Companies (Discos) to replace faulty transformers, poles and other electricity equipment used by their customers.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), a government agency which monitors and modifies behaviour of service providers and manufacturers in Nigeria, reiterated that consumers should not buy or replace such facilities.
However, in a note to members of the public, the organisation pointed out that in cases where the consumers decide to fund such ventures, the equipment remained the property of the Discos and therefore cannot be claimed by the customers.
Although this had been stated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over the years, it is usually observed in the breach as the distribution companies seldom take up the responsibility or intentionally delay replacing bad equipment.
“It is not the responsibility of the customer or the community to purchase, replace or repair transformers, poles or other associated equipment used in the distribution of electricity,” the federal competition body stressed.
However, the commission suggested that consumers and Discos could enter into an agreement, which would temporarily pass the responsibility of providing transformer and other electricity equipment to the users.
“Faulty transformers are supposed to be replaced by the Discos within 48 hours of the official complaint being made. The Disco is responsible for such replacements or repairs.
“However, if the Disco is unable to speedily replace the faulty transformer, residents may go into discussions with the company and agree on the terms of the replacement of the affected transformer if they so wish to assume the responsibility of the company,” the FCCPC added.
The FCCPC’s also aligned with a statement issued by the Discos in February, to the effect that in case the power distributors are unable to speedily replace the faulty transformer, residents may go into discussions with the company and agree on the terms of the replacement of the affected transformer if they so wish to assume the responsibility of the company.
However, it reminded customers that this is bearing in mind that any equipment purchased and integrated into the electricity system or grid automatically becomes the property of the Discos.
The FCCPC further reminded the Discos of the need to make refunds to electricity consumers who purchased meters upfront under the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) framework.
As of September 2021, there were over 8.01 million unmetered customers out of the 12.78 million registered energy customer population, according to NERC, which means only 37.3 per cent of the population is metered.
“Customers can purchase meters using the MAP Framework. However, Discos are responsible for refunding or compensating customers who paid in advance for the meters. The cost of the meter is to be reimbursed in 36 equal monthly payments using consumer-purchased energy credits.” it wrote.
The MAP was approved by NERC in 2018 for customers who are unwilling to wait for the availability of meters under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).
“Such customers can pay for a meter under the scheme. The amount paid by the customer will be amortised and refunded over a 36-month period via energy credits,” Spokesman for the Discos, Sunday Oduntan, recently said.
He added that the MAP channel offers instant installation of meters and so customers are opting for that but that they will get refunds.
