THE GUARDIAN
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has thrown its weight behind the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)’s imposition of a N10.5 billion fine on electricity distribution companies (DisCos) for failing to comply with capping of estimated bills for unmetered customers.
The fine comes as part of an ongoing effort to address issues related to electricity billing and enhanced consumer protection.The commission emphasized the importance of holding electricity distributors accountable and ensuring fair billing practices while maintaining a high standard of service delivery.
Acting Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr Adamu Abdullahi, said NERC’s strong action was by the FCCPC’s mandate as specified in the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, specifically in Section 17 (s), which empowers the Commission to safeguard consumers from objectionable practices or unethical exploitation perpetrated by companies, firms, trade associations or individuals and authority to seek remedy on behalf of consumers.
He added that FCCPC’s existing memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NERC aims to ensure more effective protection for electricity consumers through information sharing, joint investigations and coordinated enforcement actions.
Abdullahi added that the capping regulation was a significant step towards ensuring fairer treatment for those without meters with full support from FCCPC. He encouraged NERC to consider more robust measures such as elevated financial penalties, stringent enforcement mechanisms and revocation of operating licenses to discourage future infractions.
