At a time millions of Nigerian electricity consumers are in search of prepaid meters up the approval of about 85 Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) to serve as agents, the Nigeria Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) has urged power users not to accept meters that come without the agency’s seal.
Managing Director of the federal agency, Peter Ewesor, who spoke on the sidelines of the inauguration of SERVICOM unit at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, said “When this seal is not there, what you now need is to follow up and report to NEMSA so that NEMSA can go there and find out what kind of meter it is.
“We still carry out what we call on sight test for the meter to find out whether it meets the required accuracy and the required technical standards and specifications, in line with the metering codes the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission has put in place to guide manufacturing and supply.”
Ewesor, who is also the chief electrical inspector of the federation, explained that meters were expected to go through required routine tests to have certification, having met environmental conditions and specifications to localise them for usage in Nigeria.
While noting that all agencies in the country must retool the way they deliver services, Ewesor said NEMSA had succeeded in improving on the time it takes to deliver service by 50 per cent in recent times.
He revealed that the time of application for inspection to the time of certification, now takes only seven days instead of 14 days.
The new directive is coming at a time Members of the House of Representatives had condemned excessive and estimated billing by electricity distribution companies in the country, alleging that the Discos were being operated by fraudsters and persons with the mindset to rip off Nigerians.
They also accused the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulator of the power sector, of colluding with the Discos or being helpless while Nigerians were being ripped off.
The lawmakers spoke during a public hearing held at the National Assembly on the “need to curb excessive electricity charges being levied on the consumers by Discos.”
The session was chaired by an All Progressives Congress member from Osun State, Mr Ajibola Famurewa.
Business Hilights recalls that the House is currently considering a bill to criminalise estimated billing by the Discos.
Otherwise, officials of the power firms risk a jail term of six months by the time the law comes into effect for failing to provide prepaid meters to their customers.
