The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has halted a planned replacement of obsolete prepaid electricity meters to prevent consumers from paying for new meters or being subjected to estimated billing during the exercise.
The commission said it intervened after concerns emerged that customers using obsolete Unistar prepaid meters supplied by an electricity distribution company could be made to bear the cost of replacing the devices, even though they were not responsible for the meters becoming obsolete.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on consumer protection and regulatory cooperation in Nigeria’s electricity sector in Abuja yesterday, FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, said the commission worked with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) to protect consumers from unfair financial burdens.
Bello said many customers also feared that delays in replacing the obsolete meters could expose them to estimated billing or interruptions in electricity supply.
According to him, the FCCPC immediately convened a meeting with NERC, NEMSA and the affected electricity distribution companies, leading to the suspension of the replacement exercise pending compliance with regulatory requirements.
He said the matter was eventually resolved in line with NERC’s Order on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-user Customer Meters, which guarantees that consumers will not pay for replacing obsolete meters, will not experience interruptions in electricity supply during the exercise and will not be subjected to estimated billing because of delays in implementation.
Bello stressed that consumers should not suffer because infrastructure has reached the end of its useful life through no fault of their own, adding that protecting consumers must remain the primary responsibility of regulators.
He said the intervention demonstrated the importance of collaboration among regulatory agencies, noting that effective consumer protection depends on cooperation rather than institutional rivalry. According to him, regulators should measure success not only by the number of complaints resolved but also by the number of disputes prevented.
Speaking on the Electricity Act, 2023, Bello said the decentralisation of electricity regulation had made collaboration between federal and state regulators even more important, as consumers expect the same level of protection regardless of where they live.
He urged electricity distribution companies and other operators in the power sector to comply with regulatory obligations, resolve consumer complaints promptly and operate transparently to strengthen public confidence in the electricity market.
Bello added that all Nigerians should enjoy equal consumer protection, irrespective of the state in which they reside.