The Minister revealed this on Sunday, June 18, 2017, during a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
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FG to commence distribution of three million prepaid meters to Nigerians
This initiative was started as an intervention program of the federal government since the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in Nigeria are incapacitated in the provision of pre-paid meters to all households in the country.
A sample of Prepaid meter
He stated that the government had awarded the contract for production of three million meters in 2003, but the contractor is yet to supply them.
“In 2003, the government awarded a contract for three million meters but they were not supplied.
“I inherited it, they were in court and I am trying to take it out of the court so that we can settle and start the supply,” Fashola stated.
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This initiative was started as an intervention program of the federal government since the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in Nigeria are incapacitated in the provision of pre-paid meters to all households in the country.
“There is a database of six million households; it is a faulty base because we have more than six million households in the country. There are four types of consumers – R1 (poorest consumer), R2, R3 and maximum demand consumers — and they are not on the same plan.”
“DISCOs need to go into these houses, do an audit to determine the type of meters to install,” Mr Fashola told NAN during the chat.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), on the directive of the Acting President, had asked the DISCOs to discontinue billing of consumers without meters in the country.
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Mr Fashola while addressing the issue of inadequate metering by the DISCOs and energy wastage by consumers in the country noted that: “If you have a wrong meter, you will pay wrong price or bill. A meter is both a safety device and a measuring device; it can under reading or over reading or cause a fire if not properly installed.”
“But essentially, the DISCOs must provide meters, it is only fair and let the consumer manage his consumption and billing system because he has a meter.”
“Some people will put on a 70 or 120-watt bulb as security light for 24 hours, including the daytime when they do not need it and it is because they have either stolen the energy or bypassed their meters.”
“They are robbing DISCOs of huge sums of money as they may not be able to pay back the energy they bought for distribution,” he lamented.
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