The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued a directive requiring electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to guarantee 20 hours of daily power supply to Band A customers.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, NERC Commissioner for Licensing and Legal, Dafe Akpeneye, emphasized that DisCos must take immediate action to downgrade customers when they cannot consistently meet the required power supply standards.
“With regards to the migration order, it is not elective to the instance of the customer. The disco needs to make an application and ensure that they can supply power to customers in Band A,” Akpeneye explained. He added that DisCos must downgrade customers to service bands matching their actual delivery capabilities when they cannot maintain the premium service level.
The commissioner acknowledged grid supply limitations but expressed optimism about recent improvements. “The distribution can distribute what is only available on the grid. So when there is no supply to the grid, the discos can’t meet those supply commitments. But the grid has been resolved and we hope supply can improve,” he said.
In addition to the new service standards, NERC has reinforced consumer protection measures. Customers must first direct complaints to their distribution companies before escalating unresolved issues to NERC. The commission also recently mandated that DisCos must replace obsolete or faulty meters free of charge, as announced on November 18.
“The complaint process has gone on well. We have seen situations where complaints don’t get resolved by the discos and get escalated to NERC and they get resolved. We always ensure that customers get a fair resolution,” Akpeneye stated, adding that cases of overbilling receive fair redress while meter bypassing is addressed appropriately.
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