Provide meters before charging customers – Fashola warns DISCOs

-Fashola claims electricity supply has improved in Nigeria.

-The minister also encouraged private and state government investment in the power generation and distribution.

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has warned electricity distribution companies to stop the practice of giving estimated bills to customers.

He stressed the Discos have the obligation to provide meter to their customers before even charging them for electricity consumption.

“They must provide them with meters for effective metering before charging them.”

Speaking in Kano during the 18th monthly power sector and stakeholders meeting, the minister said the federal government is putting efforts into ensuring better electricity supply in the country.

According to him, as of August 10, 2017, the generation was 6,863mwts, while the transmission rose to 6, 700mwts as against the 5,000mwts in 2016.

“The Federal Government is doing its best to ensure improvement in electricity supply. Government has embarked on serious expansion of transmission capacity with some power plants already completed, while others have reached advance stages of completion,” he added.

He also encouraged state governments and private individuals to generate their own electricity while assuring of the federal government’s support for any state willing to involve in generation and distribution of electricity.

Fashola disclosed further that there was no monopoly in the business of electricity generation and distribution and that state governments and big companies could also involve in the business.

“Large power consumers like government and big manufacturing companies can engage in power supply business. All they need to do is to secure permit from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).”