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Tag: prepaid meters

  • Estimated billing system: FG to distribute two million prepaid meters by Q1 2025

    Estimated billing system: FG to distribute two million prepaid meters by Q1 2025

    The federal government has announced plans to purchase and distribute two million prepaid meters to Nigerians before the end of the first quarter of 2025. 

    The initiative is part of broader measures to address issues surrounding estimated billing in the country.

    Expressing its disapproval of the estimated billing practice by Distribution Companies (Discos), the government revealed that the distribution of these two million meters is part of a larger plan to provide ten million prepaid meters nationwide over the next five years.

    The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this during a sideline interview at the recent commissioning of the Mobile Power Substations in Oyo and Ogun states. 

    He emphasized that President Bola Tinubu is committed to ensuring an uninterrupted power supply across the country, but this goal requires the cooperation of consumers.

    Adelabu said: “An Estimated Billing System is ripping off consumers; hence the reason the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Power, is purchasing ten million prepaid meters to be distributed across the country.

    “Out of these figures, two million prepaid meters will be distributed before the end of the first quarter of 2025.

    “While the Federal Government is doing everything to make the country habitable for the people, customers should desist from their notion of bypassing connections.

    “Also, people should refrain from vandalising and stealing electricity cables. The government, aside from spending fortunes to replace stolen equipment, is also affecting power supply nationwide.”

    On the rising cost of power supply, the Minister argued that it is not peculiar to Nigeria alone but assured the people that the government is doing everything to ease the burden through renewable energy.

    “The Renewable Energy initiative of the Federal Government aims to alleviate the burden of the rising cost of energy.

    “The rising cost of energy is taking a toll not only on households but also on our institutions of learning.

    “The government has concluded a plan to deploy an Alternative Renewable Energy Grid and Solar Energy Grid to universities, teaching hospitals, and research institutes nationwide,” he added.

  • Residents demand prepaid meters

    Residents demand prepaid meters

    • By Opeyemi Samuel

    Residents of Oshodi, Mafoluku, Sogunle and Ewutuntun (OMSE) Community, yesterday stormed the Ikeja Electric (IE) plc, Oshodi Business Unit in Okota Lagos to protest against what they called ‘”crazy bills.’’

    The protest began in front of their office by members of the association,  It was spearheaded by members of the OMSE.

    The protesters, who sang solidarity songs, carried placards with inscriptions, such as : “Say no to crazy billings and demand for prepaid meters. “Give us prepaid meters now”; “We demand for regular supply of electricity in our community” and “No more estimated billings”.

    Their spokesman, Abdulrauf Olowora, said the community was demanding a time frame for the supply and installation of pre-paid meters and the stoppage of arbitrary prolonged electricity outage without notice.

    “We are tired of estimated bills; we are tired of abusing our intelligence in the community. We want to be treated the way other communities are being treated, like, Akowonjo, Alimosho and Egbeda, we want to be given prepaid meters. If there are no prepaid meters, please don’t come to our community for anything.

    “We do not want violence and that is why we have come to tell you this in peace.  We want prepaid meter to be installed in every building. We will appreciate if this is taken with all seriousness; we are not here to fight or insult anybody. You are here to do business and we are being ripped off of our hard earn money.  We pay exorbitantly without being properly taken care of. We want electricity supplied adequately on our prepaid meters,” Olowora said.

    Read Also: EEDC ex-employee arrested for tampering with prepaid meters

    Speaking after a meeting with the management of the Ikeja Electric, the Chairman of the four communities, Babatunde Faleye, advised the IE to do something about the demands before it would escalate.

    Faleye said: “There is a problem brewing in the communities and our people are tensed now. If the IE does not want a problem to start, the way out now is to get us metres.

    “This is generally agreed as the way to go. We hope that the IE lives by its words after our meeting today.”

    The Chairman, who revealed that both parties had agreed to go by vendor- financing method to get every household metres, said that the IE promised to give feedback of vendors to provide metres soon.

  • Protesting Okota residents insist on prepaid meters

    Some residents of Okota, Lagos, yesterday insisted on being metered by the Ikeja Electric (IE), as they relaunched their compaign against “crazy bills.”

    During a protest at the Okota Road office of electricity distribution company (DisCo), the residents said they would no longer pay any bill that is over N5000 a month until they are provided pre-paid meters.

    But, in a swift reaction, IE implored the residents to explore dialogue to resolve the issue.

    The protesters, who are members of the Okota Residents Association (ORA) Zone A, arrived at the IE office around 7:30 am, bearing placards with inscriptions, such as: “No disconnection till you settle us”; ‘”No prepaid meters, no payment”; “No more estimated bills”; “No more meeting with ORA Zone A  executives till our demands are met”; “Install prepaid meters with immediate effect” and “Emmanuella Nwafor must go”.

    The Nation learnt that Nwafor is the IE marketer for the area.

    Vice Chairman of Bishop Okojie Street Resident Association Eze Phillips said they had been given estimated bills since 2016, adding that meetings with IE management have not yielded result.

    “We demand stoppage of the current estimated electricity bills. Until we are metered, any bill more than N5000 will not be paid. There should be no further disconnection of residents for failure to pay the exorbitant bills. Any attempt to disconnect us will be resisted. The Okota Zone A marketer should be redeployed because of her unruly and unprofessional conduct. She is rude to customers.

    “We also demand that there should be no more sales of prepaid meters. Installation of prepaid meters should begin with immediate effect. No more meetings with IE on our demands. The executives of ORA Zone A have met the management more than eight times since 2016, with no result. The promises made have not been fulfilled,” Phillips said.

    A resident, Olagunju Olamide, wondered why he should be billed N18,000  monthly.

    He said he paid N176,000 last year to clear his arrears, but stopped paying when he discovered that the bill was not going down. “Now my bill is almost N200,000 within a short period. Why should I pay IE bills like I’m paying house rent?”

    Another resident, Austine John, of Bayo Oyewole Street, said the House of Representatives had passed a bill outlawing estimated bills.

    “Why are we still being billed outrageously for the light we do not consume? We cannot have enough sleep or enjoy what we are paying for. This is not acceptable and we will resist it,” he said.

    IE’s Assistant Public Relations Officer Akinola Ayeni said protest was not the best way to resolve the issue.

    He added that the residents could not tell the firm who to hire or not as the marketer is doing her job.

    ”It is not true that prepaid meters are sold. We don’t sell prepaid meters, they are free.

    “We have finished one of the schemes for installing prepaid meters. We will begin another pilot scheme next month. We cannot meter everybody at the same time.

    “On the estimated billings, we are a standard organisation. We are guided by rules. We have a policy guiding us and we follow the rules to bill customers as they consume. We follow guidelines on how to bill our consumers. We bill them for what they use. If anybody has any issue with his bills or that we have billed them outrageously, they can come to our office and have a meeting with us. Most consumers don’t want to pay, some pay and we appreciate them. There are some consumers who are just billed N1000 but you will see them with other protesters claiming that they are overbilled.”

     

  • Eko Disco to give customers 100 free prepaid meters

    The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) says it will give 100 free prepaid meters to customers during the Customers’ Service Week.

    The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Godwin Idemudia, said yesterday that the gesture was aimed at ensuring 100 per cent customer satisfaction.

    Idemudia, in a statement in Lagos, said the EKEDC management decided that customers who paid their bills to date would have free meters through a raffle draw.

    “Please note that meters will be given to the 10 lucky customers per district. The customers must be regular in paying with zero outstanding.

    “The customers must have no record of energy theft and have no record of hostility towards our workers,” he added.

    Idemudia said the EKEDC’s district and commercial managers were required to send 20 names of customers that fell under the categories before noon today.

    “A raffle draw will be done for 20 customers per district, while only 10 customers will qualify.”

    The spokesman said the company was rated high in metering and billing efficiency in the 2018 first quarter report of the National Electricity Regulation Commission.

    He said the firm was rated the lowest in terms of aggregate technical and consumer loss, adding that newly-acquired smart meters would be rolled out soon.

    Idemudia said the EKEDC was doing its best to ensure effective delivery despite constant pipeline vandalism, which had affected power generation and resulted in transmission constraints.

    He said other challenges included by-passing of electricity, energy theft and stealing of cables.

    Idemudia said the company’s Customer Service Week, which has begun, with the theme: “Experience Happens Here”- will afford customers the opportunity to have their complaints addressed.

    The six-day programme will include feeding of 500 people in poor communities within its franchise areas and creating awareness on the importance of the Customer Service Week.

    Others are distribution of free meters and random calls to customers, thanking them for their patronage as well as celebrating officials that meet or exceed targets.

    Idemudia urged customers to always use medium of communication on the social media to get their complaints addressed.

  • Prepaid meters, remedy for improved electricity

    Sir: NARGUABLY, electricity customers have never gotten a fair deal from the distribution companies (DisCos). Instead outrageous bills have remained their lot. The service providers every now and then freely bombard the electricity consumers with outrageous bills even without services rendered. It doesn’t matter to them if the customer didn’t use any electricity for months probably the customer toured abroad or kept apartment under lock and key. It therefore implies that presently, all that is required for the service providers to be hitting jackpots from their vulnerable customers is only to be connected to its grid; supply or not, immaterial. And failure to pay their arbitrarily and outrageous bills subjects the customers to embarrassing disconnections. Still, even when on the disconnection, bills continue to accumulate for the customers.

    In most cases, the bills are strategically, mischievously overestimated aimed at putting customers in perpetual debt bondage such that they would always have outstanding. Then, each time some of the workforce are broke particularly during festive seasons; Easter, Sallah and Christmas or personal engagements like parties, naming ceremonies, burial etc, harassing the vulnerable customers over outstanding with ladders for informal settlement becomes a viable option. Sometimes, a room apartment or mini-shop gets as much as N25,000 as monthly consumption bill whether power was supplied or not. Some apartments get as much as N120, 000 as monthly consumption bills. Some even get over N1, 500,000 unjustifiably as bill. And where the customer struggled and paid all, he gets increment in the following bills such that outstanding must exist for selfish interests someday.

    The ugly implication of the anomalies is that the arbitrary bills embolden the service providers to relax and remain unproductive since services rendered do not determine earnings but indiscriminate billing system. The glitch encourages laxity as come rain – come shine, customers must pay bills outrageously. It implies that where as little as feeder pillar in the transformer or other accessories required replacement, the service provider may not bother as its earnings are not determined by services rendered as would be the case under a prepaid metering system. On account of this, a whole community over time had been abandoned in blackout as long as the DisCo wished despite the fact they ought to generate their incomes from services rendered to the communities. Unfortunately, only prepaid metered customers pay accurately for services rendered while DisCos overbearingly exploit helpless customers on estimation, sadly in majority.

    Prepaid metering system therefore provides an effective mechanism for boosting electricity supplies in the country as the device makes it absolute that only services rendered are paid for. As a matter of fact, federal government has no business banning importation of generators into the country but ensure that all electricity consumers are metered on pay-as-you-use basis. The estimated billing system whether outrageous or underestimated constitutes threats to economic growth and productivity as it unconsciously provides avenues for exploitation. Every economy grows when citizens and services users pay accurately for services rendered to them. And essentially, it brings some disciplines and accountability thereby eliminates avoidable wastages.

    The key benefits of the prepaid metering system are emphatically tripartite in nature. Prepaid metering system automatically creates a responsibility and efficiency chain starting from consumers – distribution – generation. For instance, aside making all consumers to strictly and accurately pay for services used, it automatically propels DisCos to go extra miles towards improving in their services to ensure steady supply knowing that no income is derived without services rendered. The Discos will irrefutably without any external pressures ensure at all times that not only adequate power is distributed but supervised to see that it is effectively delivered to customers endpoints for their earnings to occur.

    And finally, digital metering conserves energy against the usual wastages as only customers in need of electricity switch on to power for use. The present-day laxity among the distribution companies that even when put on notice that customers are in blackout, they relax without taking any urgent measures to remedy the situation is because supply or not, majority are on estimated billing system. Hence, their monthly targets are spread to the vulnerable customers on estimated bills with threats of disconnections. The way out of the predicament is simple; compulsory prepaid metering system for all customers and its failure should be taken as economic sabotage.

     

    • Carl Umegboro,

    Abuja.

  • Fed Govt okays N37b cash for prepaid meters

    The Federal Government has taken advantage of the new Meter Asset Provider (MAP) regulations to give a grant of N37 billion to a private sector operator to supply meters to interested Distribution Companies (DisCos).

    Power, Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola, who spoke at the 28th monthly meeting of power stakeholders in Kaduna, said the Federal Government provided the fund based on the demand for meters, given the increasing power generation, transmission and distribution in the country.

    He noted that  estimated billings fuelled conflicts among electricity consumers and the DisCos, adding that the easiest way to restore confidence in the sector is meters provision for customers.

    Fashola said as power continued to increase in generation, transmission and distribution, the demand for meters will increase because more power supply and consumption will likely result in increased  bills.

    He said: “As power supply continues to increase in generation, transmission and distribution, the demand for meters will increase because more power supply and consumption will likely result in increased bills.

    “Estimated billings in these circumstances will become a major cause of distrust and conflict between consumers and DisCos, and meters are the easiest way to build the bridge of trust.

    “On the executive side of government, we are responding by taking advantage of the  MAP regulations to deploy a fund of N37 billion toward supplying meters through private sector.

    “I urge all DisCos who have not taken advantage of this opportunity to quickly do so, or make their own funding arrangements to contract their own meter providers to supply and install meters.

    “I know that Yola DisCo is talking to the meter asset provider for 400, 000 meters. I know that Abuja DisCo is also indicating interest for 250,000 meters.

    “I know that other meter asset providers are also talking to various banks and funding organisations to see how they can get into this business and get licensed by NERC.”

  • ‘Don’t pay for prepaid meters’ installation’

    ‘Don’t pay for prepaid meters’ installation’

    The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) yesterday warned consumers  against paying its personnel for installation of the repaid meters.

    Its General Manager, Mr Godwin Idemudia, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    According to him, complaints have reached the company that some personnel are collecting money for installation from consumers who had been given meters free.

    He said: “As long as the meters are free, installation is also free. If there are other back end equipment that are needed on the part of the customers like Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) and cables, they should provide that on their own.

    “Some consumers who bribe our staff for bypassing lines that connect their freezers, air-conditioners and other electrical gadgets should know that it is absolutely illegal.

    “If you are caught during the routine check by our staff, you will be prosecuted.”

    Idemudia urged consumers to desist from bribing staff of the company on official assignment.

    “It is wrong for our staff to demand for money before clearing electricity faults because that’s what they are being paid for.

    “Consumers should be aware that it is also wrong to connive with our staff not to settle electricity bills appropriately.

    “They should report any EKEDC staff that demands for money to the nearest EKEDC office for proper action,’’ he said.

  • NLC, NASS, govt meet over reversal of electricity tariff

    NLC, NASS, govt meet over reversal of electricity tariff

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Wednesday assured Nigerians that organised labour has commenced the process of compelling the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and operators of the nation’s power sector to reverse the recent increase in electricity tariff.

    President of the Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said in a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja that organised Labour held series of meetings with the leadership of the National Assembly and the Government with a view to effecting the tariff reversal.

    He expressed gratitude to Nigerians for turning out enmass across the country to protest the increase in tariff, pointing out that organised labour still believe that Nigerians should not be made to pay for the inefficiencies of operators of the power sector.

    The statement reads:”The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and our colleagues in the Trade Union Congress wish to express our profound appreciation and gratitude to Nigerian workers and people for coming out en mass across the country on the nationwide protest rally we called to voice our opposition to the 45 percent increase in electricity tariff which came into effect on February 1, 2016.

    “We wish to, in particular, commend our civil society allies who stood firmly with organised labour through the planning and execution of the February 8th rally. We thank Nigerians from all walks of life who saw the wisdom of our action and identified with the campaign.

    “Since the nationwide rally, the leadership of organised labour and our colleagues in civil society have been meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly, with the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, being present to underscore the importance they attach to this issue which affects every household in the country.

    “We are also having a meeting with the Federal Government under the Chairmanship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige with a view to annulling the 45 percent tariff increase.

    “We wish to assure all Nigerians that we are focused on the main objective of our campaign to ensure that the tariff increase does not stand.

    “As we have argued in the course of the rally, we maintain that Nigerians should not be compelled to pay more for darkness, against the background of the flagrant disregard of the terms on which the distribution companies (DISCOs) and generation companies (GENCOs) were awarded our common patrimony in the name of privatisation.

    These companies have failed, for instance, to provide prepaid metres as stipulated in the terms of their contract. They have instead continued to violate this special clause by charging and forcing consumers to pay the arbitrary tariffs they have imposed, even as they fail most of the time to provide them the required electricity.”

    NLC President commended the governor for having the courage to reverse his action and recall the about 6000 workers wrongly sacked and expressed the hope that the committee set up to implement the agreement reached between labour and the government will faithfully carry out its assignment.

    He said: “The leadership of both NLC and TUC also wish to express appreciation to all affiliate industrial unions for mobilising their members to turn out in massive numbers for our action of closing down government and commercial activities in Owerri, the lmo State capital on February 10, 2016 to press home our demands for the recall of about 6000 lmo State workers in government parastatals wrongly sacked by the state governor, Rochas Okorocha.

    “While we thank the entire people of Imo State for their uncommon understanding and solidarity with our actions to protect the fundamental rights of workers in the state, we wish to acknowledge Governor Okorocha for having the courage to reverse himself once we convinced him that his action was unlawful and wrongheaded.

    “It is our hope that the committee put in place to implement the agreement entered into between us and the lmo State government will faithfully implement the terms of the agreement so that we could put behind us the ugly and unpleasant situation created by the purported sacking of the workers.

    “Our hope is that governments in other states, or even at the federal level, will learn from the lmo State case, to avoid creating situations that will bring organised labour to be at loggerheads with them on account of unjust and anti-worker policies.”

  • PHCN installs 232,466 free prepaid meters in Abuja

    The Abuja zonal office of the PHCN installed pre-paid meters free of charge for 232,466 consumers in March, its spokesman, Mr Debo Adegoke, has said.

    Adegoke told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that more consumers would still benefit for the free installation scheme.

    He explained that out of the meters installed in March, 19659 went to consumers in Apo; 21203 to consumers in; 13390 went to consumers in Gwagwalada; 14142 went to some in Gwarinpa; consumers in Jabi got 17509, while those in Karu got 78416.

    In Keffi, consumers got 442 pre-paid meters; those in Kubwa got 34155; in Lokoja, they got 114; Minna got 8403; Suleja got 24, Wuse got 24,995, Bida got 11, Lafia got 2, while Okene got only one meter, he added.

    On frequent power outages in the country, Adegoke explained that there were only two reasons why there could be power outage in the PHCN’s Network and he gave the causes as follows-

    Cue in audio

    “There are two major reasons for power outage, it could be a planned power outage or it could be a forced one.

    “Forced in the sense that we were not expecting it, so it could come as a result of equipment failure or as a result of load shedding from the national grid.

    “So if it is load-shedding from the grid, we do not have control over it or if it is equipment failure, equally we do not have control over it.

    “It is only planned outage, what we mean by planned outage is we want to maintain our equipment, so we shut down or there is going to be construction along some lines thereby we require taking off light to be able to do that construction or to do that plan.

    “When it is planned, we have the ample time inform our customers of our intention to shut down.

    “But when it is forced on us we have no control over it; really at the end of it when everything is normal we can now apologise to them for what has happened and tell them the reasons”.