The Federal government has dismissed claims of discrimination in the distribution and installation of newly procured smart electricity metres.
Speaking in a forum organised by the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) with relevant agencies, including the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and Distribution Companies from across the country in attendance, the Director General, BPE, Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, said the forum was necessary for clarification of salient issues shrouding the new smart meters.
The project, which aims to bridge the metering gap across the country, comes under the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), a $500 million World Bank-supported intervention designed to improve the performance and financial sustainability of Nigeria’s Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos).
Focusing on closing the metering gap currently at about 5.3 million by NERC, the government said that metering homes will assist in reducing commercial losses, enhance revenue generation, and improve service delivery to electricity consumers.
The government also reiterated its commitment to transparency in the process of acquiring the meters by informing citizens, stressing that nobody would be denied the opportunity when necessary. The government was speaking in view of allegations of exploitation by electricity officials, which has led to numerous people being unable to access the pre-paid meters after official and unofficial payments.
According to Gbeleyi, 20 per cent of the total meters would be set aside to replace aged and non-functional ones, while the remaining, which come in one and three phases, respectively, would be deployed to those who applied within 48 hours and without any form of discrimination.
He therefore warned against any form of discrimination or financial extortion in the distribution or installation by officials.