The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has warned that there will be trouble in the power sector if the National Assembly decides to illegalise estimated billing system by power distribution companies to unmetred customers.
NERC hinges on the premise that there is a regulation on ground that deals with estimated billing already in the power sector, noting that creating another law while the old one still subsists would metamorphose to a complete disorder in the industry.
Reacting to the move, the Commissioner, Finance and Management Services, NERC, Nathan Shatti, said the Commission had met with the lawmaker, who sponsored the Bill, explaining why it would not be right to have such a law at the moment.
Shatti said, “Few weeks ago, a Bill was presented on the floor of the House of Representatives about criminalising estimated billing and ensuring prepaid meters supply. We went to meet the main sponsor of the Bill and we told him that we already have a regulation on this to address the issues. And we told him that if we should go by that rule, there would be chaos in this industry.
“We then told him something; we said, ‘sir, if there’s anything you can help us do in this industry today as a lawmaker, it is to please help us criminalise energy theft and meter bypass. This is because with such a law, anyone who thinks he is the boss and he bypasses his meter and is caught, he is not just going to pay N2m, but will go to jail.
“So, we really like what they (lawmakers) are doing and this is because they are bringing to the fore the sufferings of people for all Nigerians to know. They do this because they have the voice and they have constituencies to go back to. Also, remember that 2019 is by the corner; they have to show their people that they are doing something,” he added.
Shatti said, “Next week, a team from NERC is going to Ghana, because we got a company that is actually devising a kind of meter that can detect energy theft. They came, made a presentation and we felt what they are showing is good and so, our team is going to Ghana to look at it.
“But let me just explain something about meter bypass or energy theft; it is beyond regulation and it is beyond enforcing the regulation. It is also beyond technology. There is no amount of technology or checks that you will do to eliminate energy theft.
