Several Federal Government agencies have taken a stand against Ikeja Electric (IE), one of the two electricity distribution companies in Lagos.
The DisCo is moving forward with plans to charge consumers for replacing their ‘obsolete’ meters.
A deadline of Thursday, November 14, has been set for meter replacements, after which consumers will be unable to recharge if the replacements aren’t completed.
The other Disco in Lagos, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), which initially asked its consumers to pay for the replacement of meters, backed down.
It gave them the option of upgrading their meters.
In an advisory, the EKEDC said: “Dear Valued Customer, Upgrade your meter to STS 2 for free! Visit kctcheck.ekedp.com, enter your meter details, and click search to receive your 2 sets of 20-digit KCTS. Input them to complete the upgrade.”
At a stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja last week, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) told the DisCo to pull the brake.
But it was learned that it insisted on forging ahead with the plan.
Yesterday, FCCPC reiterated the warning to the DisCo that consumers must be protected.
It was also learned that the NERC had written to the DisCo, drawing it attention to sections of the law and regulations it must obey in the replacement of meters.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Mr. Tunji Bello, in a statement yesterday said: “FCCPC has urged electric distribution companies (DISCOs) to carry energy consumers along before classifying them into bands and also adhere strictly to industry regulations on billing unmetered consumers.
“The systemic inefficiencies and a culture of impunity among some service providers have intensified these issues, leading to the routine exploitation of consumers.
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