SERAP gives Fashola 7 days to mandate DISCOs to provide free pre-paid meters

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has vowed to drag the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to court if he fails to order electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to provide free pre-paid meters to Nigerians within seven days.

SERAP said the minister must use his good offices and leadership position to urgently enforce DISCOs to provide free pre-paid meters and end the use of patently illegal and inordinate estimated billing across the country.

It said, “Take this step within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, failing which SERAP will institute appropriate legal proceedings to compel the discharge of your ministerial and statutory duty in this matter in order to ensure completion of metering of unmetered customers and total abolition of estimated billing in the country.”

This is contained in a letter from SERAP to Fashola dated May 22, 2017 and signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni.

The organization expressed concern that “while countries like Zambia are subsidising electricity payments to enable consumption by socially and economically vulnerable groups, this government is implicitly promoting the use of unjustifiable estimated billing, and increasing consumer costs. The use of estimated billing is marginalizing Nigerians living in extreme poverty, disproportionately affecting women, children and the elderly, and increasing their vulnerability to discrimination.”

SERAP further said, “Excessive billing of customers is arbitrary, unfair, unjust, unreasonable and exploitative of millions of socially and economically vulnerable groups. SERAP is concerned that the apparent failure of your office to exercise due diligence and effective regulatory oversight on DISCOs to ensure full compliance with your directives to provide free pre-paid meters to Nigerians has denied millions of customers regular and uninterrupted access to electricity.”

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The letter also read in part: “It’s the responsibility of this government and your ministry to ensure that the privatisation of the power sector does not impair in any way, shape, or form access of Nigerians to regular and uninterrupted electricity supply by among others actively promoting the provision of pre-paid meters to all Nigerians particularly the socially and economically vulnerable groups. Nigerians should not be penalized by disconnection or denial of access to electricity because they cannot pay unwarranted estimated bills.

“It’s unlawful for DISCOs to disconnect electricity supplies on the basis of unpaid estimated bills. This government and your ministry bear responsibility for the failure and/or refusal of DISCOs to provide free pre-paid meters to millions of Nigerians.

“SERAP therefore urges you to act diligently and swiftly to enforce your directives, deadlines and regulations on the provision of free pre-paid meters to Nigerians and end the use of patently illegal estimated billing across the country. We also urge to establish independent monitoring teams to regularly monitor the proportion of households across the country with pre-paid meters.

“Should you fail and/or neglect to act as requested within seven days after the receipt and/or publication of this letter, SERAP will be compelled to pursue appropriate legal action against your ministry to ensure strict enforcement of your directives, deadlines and regulations on provision of free pre-paid meters to Nigerians and an end to estimated billing across the country.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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