The Federal Government has mandated that electricity distribution providers replace phased-out meters owing to a meter update.
It declared this through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, clarifying that, while there is no mandate to phase out Unistar meters as alleged, they (meters) will soon be out of service owing to a technological upgrade, and its customers cannot vend.
The commission stated that any meter now being changed by Discos must be replaced to avoid disrupting customers’ metering needs.
As Nigeria tries to close the seven million metering deficit, several Discos have required that customers receive new meters by the November 14 deadline.
Speaking with The PUNCH, NERC Vice Chairman Musiliu Oseni revealed that there was no official instruction on phasing out Unistar meters yet and that the Discos are currently handling the matter operationally.
The issue, according to Oseni, is related to the Token Identifier Rollover.
According to him, if the meters are not upgraded, users will have difficulty purchasing electricity.
Oseni emphasized that Unistar meters are not upgradeable and will eventually have to be phased out.
“Operationally, if they say those meters are not upgradable, they can decide to phase them out. But as they remove the meters, based on the rule, they must replace them. It is the responsibility of the Discos to replace them,” he said.
He emphasized that during the phase-out process, no customer should be placed on estimated billing or be denied access to electricity.
