The House of Representatives,Tuesday,
The lower House mandated its committee on Power to carry out the investigation and report back in three weeks for further legislative actions.
The development was sequel to the adoption of a motion on notice brought by Hon. Bello Mohammed Shamsudeen, emphasizing urgent need to investigate the electricity distribution companies (DISCOS) in Nigeria for overbilling customers without adequate electricity supply.’
He noted that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), on several occasions, ordered that refunds be made to overbilled customers of Electricity Distribution Companies through energy
credit of excess charges to the affected individuals and businesses.
According to him,the commission further ordered erring electricity distribution companies to, within
five days notify the affected customers of the overbilling in writing in line with Regulation 9 (7) of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Meter Reading, Billing, Cash Collection and Credit Management for Electricity Suppliers Regulation 2007.
He said hat the World Bank, in a latest survey, insisted that 78 per cent of power consumers in Nigeria got less than 12 hours of daily supply of electricity which were oftentimes epileptic.”
He added that the increase in tariff does not reflect the number of hours of power supply, yet Nigerians are forced to pay for power they did not consume.
