The National Electricity Regulation Commission, NERC, on Monday, unveiled a new increment of average of N9.00 electricity tariff for all classes of consumers of the product, which will become effective from the next billing period, just as it also, announced the abolition of the contentious fixed charges for all electricity consumers.
In the new tariff regime for instance, residential customer classification (R2) in Abuja Electricity Distribution Company will no longer pay N702.00 fixed charge every month. Their energy charge will increase by N9.60. Also, residential customers (R2 customers) in Eko and Ikeja electricity distribution areas will no longer pay N750. 00 fixed charges.
They will be getting N10 and N8 increase respectively in their energy charges. Similarly, the burden of N800.00 and N750.00 fixed charges would be lifted off the shoulders of Kaduna and Benin electricity consumers. These consumers will see an increase of N11.05 and N9.26 respectively in their energy charges.
The outgoing Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, who unveiled the new tariff in a statement in Abuja, however, descended heavily on the recalcitrant DISCOs, hiding under estimated billing to rip off customers, warning that, “Henceforth every disco should meter all its customers.”
Amadi said, “The metering policy will be strictly enforced. For those willing electricity customers who paid for meters under the Cash Advance Payment Metering Initiative (CAPMI) but are yet to be metered within the allowable 60 days they would no longer be billed by the electricity distribution companies under the new tariff regime.