TheNewsGuru

Tag: Consumers

  • Electricity consumers to get ‘capped bills’ to address issues of estimated billing

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), in a new regulatory code, has said it will develop an order on capping of unmetered customers’ bills to address the issue of estimated billing in the country.

    Contained in NERC’s Draft Meter Asset Providers Regulations 2017, the Commission said the order would be developed within 90 days after the approval of the new regulatory code.

    TheNewsGuru reports NERC is working on the new regulatory code to bring in Meter Assets Providers to fund provisions of meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

    “The Commission shall within 90 days of the approval of these Regulations, develop an order on capping of unmetered customers bills to address the issue of estimated billing in the NESI. This creative regulatory initiative is expected to bridge the metering gap in NESI,” NERC said.

    According to the new regulatory code, every electricity consumer shall have the right to a meter, installed to ensure proper energy accounting, but where a customer chooses the option of self-financing of the meter, the Distribution Licensee shall own such meters and repay the customers through energy credits over a period of time.

    “Where the customer chooses the option of self financing of the meter, the Distribution Licensee shall provide the customer with authorisation specifying the amount to be paid for installation of a meter after inspection of the customer’s premises.

    “The customer shall pay to the MAP [Meter Asset Provider] the full price of the meter as specified in the Distribution Licensee’s authorization.

    “The MAP shall supply and install such meter at the premises of the customer within 21 working days of the Customer’s payment.

    “The Distribution Licensee shall own such meters and shall repay the customers through energy credits over a period not exceeding 5 years,” the NERC new regulatory code read.

    NERC further stated that if a customer’s metering system develops fault, the MAP will provide urgent metering services to repair or replace the meter and its accessories within two (2) working days.

    “Where there is a dispute, the customer has a right to fair resolution in accordance with the Metering Code and other applicable Regulations,” NERC stated.

     

  • Epileptic power supply: ‘We feel your pain,’ Eko Disco begs consumers

    Epileptic power supply: ‘We feel your pain,’ Eko Disco begs consumers

    The management of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) on Sunday apologised to its consumers over the irregular power supply.

    General Manager Corporate Communications, Mr Godwin Idemudia, said the epileptic supply was due to last week’s system collapse on the national grid.

    Idemudia, said the system collapse resulted in nationwide blackout.

    The General Manager said for the past five days, power supply to electricity consumers under Eko Disco has been epileptic.

    “Until Generation goes up, there is nothing we can do now because National Grid (NG) is the only source of our supply.

    “We feel your pains.

    “We are, therefore, appealing to customers to bear with us, as supply will be restored as soon as these repairs are concluded.

    “EKEDC highly regrets any inconveniences caused by this irregular supply,” he said.

    Nigeria on Jan.2 was thrown into a nationwide blackout as the country suffered total collapse of its power system grid.

    The collapse followed a fire incident on Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Ltd (NGPTC’s) Escravos Lagos Pipeline System, which supplies gas to plants generating 3,182 Mega Watt (MW). All the plants shut down.

    These plants include Egbin 1,320MW; Olorunsogo National Integrated Power Plant (NIPP) 676MW; Olorunsogo 338MW; Omotosho NIPP 450MW; Omotosho 338 MW and Paras 60MW power stations.

    The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, which confirmed the collapse and the shutdown of gas supply to the plants, described the incident as a setback to the power sector.

     

    NAN

  • DISCOs must write to notify consumers before disconnection – NERC

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), an independent regulatory body with authority for the regulation of the electric power industry in the country has said the various electricity distribution company in the country must notify consumers in writing before attempting to disconnect their power supply.

    This was made known in a statement recently released and signed by the acting Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr.Anthony Akah.

    The commission advised consumers (especially new) to follow due process before connecting to a source.

    “All new electricity connections must be done strictly on the basis of metering before connection. That is, no new customer should be connected without meter first being installed.

    A customer who elects to procure meter under the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) Scheme must be metered within 60 days, after which the customer will neither be billed nor disconnected by the electricity distribution company”.

    Following reports of overestimated bills by the various DISCOs, NERC said all electricity consumers have right to a transparent billing system while also advocating for a formal notification process before consumers are disconnected from electricity source.

    “It is the customer’s right to transparent electricity billing. Unmetered customers should be issued with electricity bills strictly based on NERC’s estimated billing methodology.

    It is the customer’s right to be notified in writing ahead of disconnection of electricity service by the electricity distribution company serving the customer in line with NERC’s guidelines”.

    The commission also said consumers have right to investigations arising from service interruptions. It stated clearly that consumers do not have business buying or replacing transformers, electricity poles, etc.

    “It is the customer’s right to prompt investigation of complaints arising from the customer’s electricity service disruption.

    It is not the responsibility of electricity customer or community to buy, replace or repair electricity transformers, poles and related equipment used in supply of electricity”.

    The statement states further: “It is the customer’s right to contest any electricity bill. Any unmetered customer who is disputing his or her estimated bill has the right not to pay the disputed bill, but pay only the last undisputed bill as the contested bill go through the dispute resolution process of NERC.

    All complaints on your electricity supply and other billing issues are to be sent to your nearest business unit of the electricity company serving your premises. If your complaint is not satisfactorily addressed, you can forward your complaint to the NERC Forum Office within the coverage area of your electricity distribution company. Customers also have the right to appeal the decision of the forum at the NERC headquarters in Abuja”.

    The commission however warned consumers to regularly pay their bills and avoid meter by-pass or stealing of electricity and protect power infrastructure from being vandalized.

  • Consumers have right to resist payment when there’s no electricity – Fashola

    …says I’ll resist too

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said electricity consumers in the country have right to refuse paying bills when they are not supplied.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the minister said this on Monday at the 12th Monthly Power Sector and Stakeholders’ Meeting in Ibadan hosted by Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.

    Power generation in the country has worsened in recent weeks after hitting the 4,000 megawatts mark in December last year, with many consumers without prepaid meters complaining about over-estimated bills despite the dip in supply.

    The minister said vandalism of gas pipelines and other important assests in the Niger Delta has led to a drastic fall in the supply of the gas needed to improve power supply.

    In his words: “The 3,500MW to 3,800MW that we have been able to keep on the grid over the last few months will be assisted greatly if we can have the gas pipelines back and add 3,000MW to it. That means we will be able to deliver well over 6,000MW if the gas pipelines are safe.”

    The minister explained further that the sabotage had also created debt and liquidity problems, shortfall in power expectation, and in revenue recovery by power distribution firms.

    “Consumers are more resistant to payment when they don’t have electricity, and I will be, too, and you will be too,” he told the power investors and other stakeholders at the meeting.

    “We see that they (consumers) pay more when the power is more stable. Of course, there are issues also at the retail end – metering, estimated bills.”

    Noting that all stakeholders have different roles to play in solving the problems, the minister said, “You will see that government has begun to act. The Vice President, representing the President, is going round those Niger Delta communities, engaging them more openly, more robustly.

    “The idea is to bring them to the table to stop the vandalism while the issues that agitate them can be treated and resolved. I believe that if we are successful as we expect to be, we should be able to, sometimes, this year recover all the 3,000MW that has been lost to gas pipeline outages,” the minister said.

  • Telecomm consumers in for better deal in 2017, Danbata says

    The Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, has said consumers of telecommunication services in the country are in for a great deal in 2017.

    Danbatta made the declaration during his visit to the South-East zonal office of the commission in Enugu and was contained in a press release sent to DAILY POST.

    Commending staff of the zonal office for their hard work, Danbatta implored them to intensify the sensitization campaign on the Commission’s initiatives and programmes in 2017.

    The EVC also urged telecom consumers to take advantage of the toll free line-622 to lodge complaints about services rendered by the operators and to also activate the DO NOT DISTURB, DND, Code, 2442, to tame the instances of unsolicited massages and calls from telemarketers.

    He bemoaned the fact that very small percentage of subscribers has activated the DND Code.

    Danbatta said the Board and Management of the Commission are mindful of the circumstances of telecom operation in Nigeria, such as challenges of electricity, vandalism and arbitrary charges among others.

    He recalled measures already taken to ameliorate the situation which include signing of MOUs with state governors to mitigate the excruciating conditions telecom companies face in the deployment of services across the country.

    The EVC, therefore called on the staff to ensure that telecom operators observe the Key Performance Indicators, KPIs, in order to achieve good quality of service.

    “Very soon, we will unveil a plan to give a concrete expression to our declaration of the Year 2017 as the Year of the Consumer,” Danbatta said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Danbatta appealed to the staff to brace up for more work because soon the South East zone will witness deployment of fibre infrastructure as part of the implementation of the National Broadband Plan.

    He disclosed that the Commission has achieved 21 percent broadband deployment and promised that the Commission will ensure that it achieves 30 percent broadband coverage by 2018 as stipulated in the National Broadband Plan.

    Danbata assured that the Management of NCC was committed to translating the organisation’s vision to reality.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that Nigerians rejected NCC’s planned data tariff increment in scheduled to take effect from December 1 2016.

  • CPC set to curb abuse of rights of insurance consumers

    CPC set to curb abuse of rights of insurance consumers

    The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) on Saturday said efforts were being put in place to curb the abuse of the rights of insurance consumers in the country.

    The Director General of CPC, Mrs Dupe Atoki said this at the ongoing Annual National Insurance Consumers’ Colloquium held in conjunction with Pastures Consult Ltd. and Dividend in Lagos.

    The theme of colloquium is “100 Years After: Is Insurance Working in Nigeria?’’

    She said that the council would not expose such efforts at the colloquium, adding that the council had gathered that consumers were faced with numerous challenges.

    According to her, the challenges include sale of fake insurance policies, incessant delays in payment of claims among others.

    Atoki, who was represented by her deputy, Mr Joshua Yakubu said that the council would develop synergy with insurance consumers and regulators for a common ground in dealing with already identified challenges.

    She, however, enjoined every Nigerian to get involved in insurance policies not for personal reasons alone but for national prosperity.

    Mr Jude Modilim, the Group Head, Energy and Special Risk of International Energy Insurance Plc, who spoke on the economic importance of insurance to national development, said that the industry needed to combat low awareness of insurance in the country.

    Modilim urged practitioners to embrace consumerism, which meant that consumers’ interest should always be promoted.

    “Once the citizens are conscious of insurance, national growth and development will be rapid.

    “This is because insurance goes beyond providing security, insurance generates financial resources for investment in bonds. It is also an important source of capital formation,’’ he said.

    Mr Toke Falana, who delivered a lecture on “Enforcement of Insurance and Insurance Related Laws “ said that the country needed to do more by investing in education, health and other social insurance.

    Section 14 (2b) of the Constitution provides that the welfare and security of the people shall be the primary purpose of the government

    “Nigeria with all abundant resources has not been able to insure the life of her people by investing in education, health and other social services,“ he said.

    He said that the insurance laws applicable in the country were deficient in many areas because the rights guaranteed by those laws are usually breached with impunity.

    “Importantly, I would conclude by calling on insurers to ensure that claims are paid promptly by insurance companies.

    “The government also needs to execute some provisions in insurance laws and embark on enlightening programmes for citizens to appreciate the benefits of insurance,“ he said.

    One of the participants, Gabriel Offor, commended the organisers for putting the colloquium together.

    According to Offor, all stakeholders in the industry have a role to play as everything must be transparent.

    The Annual National Insurance Consumers’ Colloquium is a platform for an in-depth discussion and a means of taking practical steps in dealing with and managing the various challenges concerning insurance consumers.

  • Failed Data Hike: Expect poor data services, telecoms operators warn consumers

    Following a failed attempt by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC and the various service providers in the country, to hike the prices of data, the Association of Licenced Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) on Thursday informed consumers to expect poor data services.

    The Chairman of ALTON, Mr Gbenga Adebayo said in a statement in Lagos, that there was the need for an upward review, so as to offer better data services to subscribers.

    Adebayo said that the operators fully understood the public sentiments that greeted the announcement of a minimum data tariff being introduced by the NCC.

    He said that the NCC intervened to set the data tariff floor in view of its statutory responsibility to promote healthy competition, by periodically reviewing voice and data tariffs in the industry.

    According to him, the commission’s intervention is to ensure the sustainability of the Nigerian telecommunications industry.

    He also said that the regulatory body had extensive consultation with the industry prior to the finalisation of the data tariff floor.

    “Further, the commission has since Wednesday suspended the implementation of its determination on the data tariff floor.

    “ALTON notes that it is within the statutory remit of the NCC for it to make decisive interventions to address the data price concerns which had led to data prices falling to unreasonably low levels.

    “This is with the effect that telecommunications operators were unable to recover the cost of providing data services and reinvest in capacity expansion to accommodate the increased usage arising from lower tariffs.

    “The situation has been compounded by the recent economic challenges characterised by the steep depreciation of the naira.

    “It is characterised by the need to resort to the parallel market and foreign exchange scarcity, which have considerably increased the capital and operational cost of providing telecommunications services.

    “This has made current data tariffs unsustainable.

    “This situation, if left unaddressed, could result in a sustained deterioration in the quality of data services across all networks and the attendant poor quality of experience for users.

    “In this regard, our members await the conclusion of NCC’s market study, when the commission will be in a position to determine its requisite intervention,’’ Adebayo said.

    He said that NCC introduced the minimum price for data services to help ensure cost recovery and drive the continued investment in the telecommunications sector.

    The ALTON chairman said that it was necessary for the provision of world-class data services for the overall benefit of the Nigerian subscriber and the Nigerian economy.

    “It is our belief that interventions such as these are in keeping with the NCC’s tradition of implementing customer-centric regulatory initiatives such as the Do-Not-Disturb Service and the Mobile Number Portability Scheme.

    “These were introduced to enhance customer satisfaction with telecommunications services.

    “ALTON also notes that price changes for data services across all networks following any intervention by the NCC are not expected to have a detrimental effect on broadband penetration contrary to some sentiments being expressed in the media.

    “ALTON wishes to emphasise that while it is imperative that telecommunications operators continue to explore opportunities to provide their subscribers with more value for their money, it is important that prices be set at realistic levels.

    “This will ensure that subscribers are not only able to afford services, but that operators are also in a position to provide first-rate Quality of Service to their subscribers,’’ he said.

    Recall that the NCC on Wednesday suspended any further action on the directive to introduce price floor for data segment of the telecommunications sector beginning from December 1, 2016.

    The Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo said in a statement that the decision to suspend the directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by consumers across the country.

    Ojobo said that the commission had weighed all of these and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.

    He said that the regulatory body wrote to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on November 1, on the determination of an interim price floor for data services after the stakeholder’s consultative meeting of October 19.