…On NERC Sanction.
…Set to refund – with conditions.
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
In line with the recent discovery, Kaduna Electric is set to comply with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)’s order, mandating it to refund overbilled customers.
Kaduna Electric and other Distribution Companies in the country were sanctioned for non-compliance with NERC’s Capping Order, directing them to ensure unmetered customers are not billed beyond a certain threshold.
According to NERC, capping is aimed at “aligning the estimated bills for unmetered customers with the measured consumption of metered customers on the same supply feeder.”
In a statement issued Monday by the Head of Corporate Communication, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, Kaduna Electric admitted it’s set to refund customers as directed by the regulator. It, however, noted that all customers who are to benefit from the refund must be ready to settle all their outstanding debts or risk disconnection.
The company stated that it’s weighed down by a huge debt burden, which hampers its efforts at efficient service delivery to customers.
The company urged customers to come forward and clear their debts, as it now has zero tolerance for electricity debt accumulation by customers.
Abdulazeez remarked that, the company, which operates in Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States, has to confront the reality with the recent developments in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, where distribution companies are required to ensure full remittance to the market for energy received and wheeled to it.
It, however, stated that this would be unachievable, if customers refuse to settle their bills promptly and in full. It noted that, one of the major constraints hampering adequate supply of electricity has been the issue of illiquidity in the sector and, that, this bottleneck can only be overcome with full payments for energy consumed by customers.