"NIGERIANS WITHOUT PREPAID METERS SHOULD STOP PAYING ELECTRICITY BILLS" - FG

Posted by on
By Jerrywright Ukwu
Electricity consumers ​not provided with prepaid meters ​as at​ March 1 2017 have been told to stop paying electricity bills - 
This is the directive from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)

The Distribution Companies (DISCOs) have however fired back saying the rule is not applicable to all Nigerians The NERC has ​declared that electricity consumers ​that were ​not provided with prepaid meters ​as at​ March 1 should stop paying electricity bills presented by DISCOs on the basis of estimated billing methodology.

The commission also ordered the DISCOs not to disconnect any such customer that refuses to pay the bills and further advised such customers to report to the commission if disconnected.

The NERC said​ the new directive is in line with its mandate of protecting the rights of customers. NAIJ.com checks reveal that the NERC had in June 2016 directed DISCOs to conclude metering of all customers before November 30, 2016, a deadline the DISCOs failed to meet.
Part of the statement read:​ 

“A directive was issued to distribution companies by the commission in June 2016 for all MD customers to be metered by 30 November 2016. “The commission received appeals on compliance deadline from distribution companies prior to the expiration of the 30 November 2016 deadline. The deadline was extended to 1 March 2017 after consideration of appeals received from distribution companies. “Upon due consideration of facts above and the expiration of the compliance deadline granted to distribution companies on the metering of MD customers; the commission hereby directs as follows;

1. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 shall not pay any electricity bill presented by a distribution company on the basis of estimated billing methodology and these customers are advised to report this to the commission.

2. No distribution company shall disconnect any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 on the basis of the customer’s refusal to pay a bill issued after the compliance deadline on the basis of estimated billing methodology.

3. Any MD customer that was not metered by 1 March 2017 should notify the commission directly Clarifying the directive, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) said the NERC statement applies to Maximum Demand (MD) customers and not residential.

The Chief Executive Officer of ANED, Azu Obiaya made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Sunday, June 11. Maximum Demand (MD) customers are commercial and industrial customers who consume high levels of electricity and contribute substantially to the revenues of distribution companies.

“We recognise that our residential consumers will be interested in this notice thinking that it applies to them in their need for meters, and we recognise that everyone will like to be metered, we are working towards that. “But this time, that notice by NERC is specific for maximum demand customers,” Obiaya said.

Thank you for reading. Kindly share also.

NOW ON SALE WORLDWIDE!!!!!! THE FOUR STONES - The Battle of the Four Realms - BY UCHECHUKWU DANIEL

MORE COMMUNITY HEADLINES

Image

CAN GARDENING IMPROVE THE NATIONS HEALTH? - BY HELEN BRIGGS

Amanda Miller has her hands in the soil as she builds a garden in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. Crouched on a bank beside a stream, she is putting the final touches to a garden that attempts to convey the solitude of depression. Her creation is one of several at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show exploring links between health and horticulture. "The one I've focused on is depression because I have family members and friends who have suffered from it," she says. "Rather than being inspired to do it, I was compelled to do it."
Image

SEE FULL LIST OF NIGERIA'S 43 MINISTERS

BY EMMANUEL OKOGBA President Muhammadu Buhari has assigned portfolios to the newly sworn-in ministers. He made the announcement as the Presidential villa on Wednesday. The full list is below: 1. Dr. Ikechukwu Ogah (Abia State) -Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development  2. Mohammed Musa Bello (Adamawa State) -Minister of the Federal Capital Territory  3. Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom State)- Minister of Niger Delta  4. Chris Ngige (Anambra State)- Minister of Labour and Employment  5. Sharon Ikeazor (Anambra State) Minister of State Environment  6. Adamu Adamu (Bauchi State) Minister of Education  7. Ambassador Maryam Katagun (Bauchi State) State  8. Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa State) Minister of State, Petroleum under the President  9. George Akume (Benue State)  10. Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Borno State) Minister of State, Agric and Rural Development  11. Goddy Jedy Agba (Cross River State) -Minister of...
Image

FG SET TO BAN SALE OF ALCOHOL IN SMALL BOTTLES AND SACHET - SEE WHY

The Federal Government has issued directives targeted at phasing out the sale and consumption of alcohol in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate, PET, bottles. The goal is to reduce availability and curb abuse. Effective January 31 2021, producers of alcohol in sachets and small bottles are to reduce production by 50 per cent of capacity prior to January 2020. Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, disclosed this in a statement. Adeyeye said uncontrolled access and availability of high concentration alcohol in sachet and small volume PET or glass bottles contribute to substance and alcohol abuse in Nigeria. She added that NAFDAC and the ministry of health have engaged major shareholders and have reached certain agreements. She said the food agency will no longer register new products in sachet and small volume PET or glass bottles with contents above 30 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). “These concerns relate t...
Image

KIRIKIRI TOWN RESIDENTS SPEAK WITH REPORTER ON NEIGHBOR ISSUES

When you hear Kirikiri, you think prison; but there is more to the sprawling community tucked in between Apapa and a Lagos Lagoon tributary. Residents share their experience with Gboyega Alaka IT was Nyma Akashat-Zibiri, co-host of TVC’s popular breakfast show, Your View, who not too long ago, described the road leading to Kirikiri Town, the small community that plays host to Nigeria’s most ‘popular’ prison, as totally neglected and a sample of the neglect and squalour that may exist in the prison itself. Nyma was responding to a hot topic on the decrepit state of the prisons and dehumanising condition the inmates have to put up with. This was therefore the first thing this reporter paid attention to, as he negotiated his way over the Berger/Kirikiri Flyover towards the sprawling community. One could say the town is divided into three parts, with the prisons yard taking a huge chunk. The prison houses the Minimum Prison, the Female prison and the Maximum prison. Naturally...
Image

PHOTO: LORAL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL WINS 2017 AFRICA TOP SCHOOL AWARD

AFRICA Brands Review, an integrated marketing service company, has named Loral International Schools (LIS), Lagos & Osun States, as winner of “2017 Africa Top Schools Award (Platinum Category), as one of the top 10 schools in the country, and one of the best international schools in Africa. The award, it was disclosed, stems from among other things, the school’s ratings in the 2017 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results. To arrive at this, the firm said it compared how secondary schools across the country performed, and thereafter rated the top 1, 000 schools. It was after this that it bestowed the award in May 2017 on LIS. The events brochure of the Africa Top 1, 000 School Award is to be distributed to embassies of various Africa countries and libraries of institutions of higher learning and blue chip companies. Free copies are to be sent to all participating schools on the continent. “We didn’t apply for any ...
Image

STORY SERIES: THE TRIALS OF PUNTO (EPISODE ELEVEN)

Written by U.D. Okechukwu To catch up on previous episodes visit http://reportersgc.blogspot.com /search/labels/storyseries and use the search button for quick opening. …Continued from last week Both Punto and Checheskey's parents hugged their children and pressured to find out their whereabout for days. the way they smiled made it seem that they were fine. indeed they were fine, weren't they? Before Punto took his shower at his home and rested, he spoke at length with his parents and siblings narrating everything that had happened without missing a line. Checheskey’s parents took him home without giving him a chance to say goodbye to Punto. Although both boys knew it is definite that they will meet in their usual place if the need arises. 
Image

WHAT A HUSBAND NEEDS FROM A WIFE IS NEVER SEX - BY ANYIA GLORIA

Sex is an important element in marriage and until there is sexual intercourse between a husband and a wife, the marriage is not yet spiritually recognized. This shows how important sex is in marriage. When you look at how aggressive men are towards sex you may think that what a man needs from a woman is sex. Of course, if he has not married you yet or he does not really intend to marry you what he will need from you is nothing above your body. But if he really intends to marry you or if you guys are already married sex is never what he needs from you - maybe let me say it better; "WHAT A MAN NEEDS MOST FROM A WOMAN IS NOT SEX." Many young girls think because they are sexually active and experience they will easily be married and have their husbands loving them. And when a man approaches for marriage they think the greatest asset they have to show the man is sex. Others also think once they are giving out their bodies it means they are giving ou...
Image

LIVING IN SIN IS SOMETHING OUT OF IGNORANCE

The Bible is a book of prophecy, history, prayer, law, counsel and knowledge about God. it holds information about the past, present and future revealing the mind of God concerning creation.
Image

TALIBAN MILITANTS TAKES OVER KABUL COMMUNITY - PRESIDENT, US/ UK DIPLOMATS FLEE

Taliban has declared the war in Afghanistan over after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul as Western countries scrambled to evacuate their citizens. The Taliban has declared the war in Afghanistan over after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul as Western countries scrambled on Monday to evacuate their citizens amid chaos at the airport as frantic Afghans searched for a way out. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Islamist militants entered the capital virtually unopposed. He said he wanted to avoid bloodshed while hundreds of desperate Afghans flooded Kabul airport. “Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,” Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, told Al Jazeera TV. “Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.” It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep...