Amid the push by power sector operators for the Federal Government to end subsidies on electricity tariff, it has emerged that over seven million customers remain without electricity meters in the power sector.
Without meters, customers are unable to control energy consumption and are faced with estimated bills from electricity distribution companies, DisCos.
The minister advised that “We need to bring life into Africa Union body of programmes because terrorist groups and indeed other criminal gangs edging ways in border areas and West Africa has complex border areas and the issues of territory are difficult for man to manage.
“The AU body of programmes would bring in development and infrastructure when we do not give in to this military takeover.”
Latest data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, showed that as at 30th September 2023, there were 12,825,005 registered electricity customers in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, out of which only 5,707,838 (44.51 percent) are metered.
NERC in its third quarter 2023 report, disclosed that 148,389 end-user customers were metered during the period with Ikeja, Abuja and Ibadan DisCos having the highest number of meter installations in 2023/Q3 accounting for 27.35 percent, 20.78 percent and 17.53 percent respectively of the total installations.
With the industry underperforming and in serious financial difficulties, the Commission disclosed that subsidies payable by government to the sector will top N600 billion by the end of the year.
The Commission also projected that in the absence of cost reflective tariff, electricity subsidies will hit N1.6 trillion in 2024.
He noted that with rising inflation and the devaluation of the Naira having a massive impact on existing tariffs after the government ordered a freeze in MYTO review in July, the financial situation in the market was likely going to worsen next year.
By Obas Esiedesa
