The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has instructed electricity distribution companies (Discos) to downgrade customers in the Band A category if they cannot provide the required capacity for supplies.

This directive was revealed NERC Commissioner for Licensing and Legal, Dafe Akpeneye, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday, November 22.

According to Akpeneye, Band A customers, who are promised a minimum of 20 hours of electricity supply daily, must be downgraded if Discos fail to meet this commitment.

“With regards to the migration order, it is not elective to the instance of the customer. The Disco needs to make an application and ensure that they can supply power to customers in Band A. If Discos can’t supply such customers, the Discos have to downgrade such customers to meet what they can provide,” he said.

He added that electricity distribution is dependent on grid availability, and when supply from the grid falls short, Discos are unable to fulfill their commitments. “The distribution can distribute what is only available on the grid. So when there is no supply to the grid, the Discos can’t meet those supply commitments. But the grid has been resolved and we hope supply can improve, and when they can’t, the Discos have to downgrade such customers,” Akpeneye explained.

On the issue of state-level electricity regulation, Akpeneye clarified that states now have constitutional powers to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity within their boundaries. “States can now establish electricity markets and regulate them the Nigerian constitution. States now have powers for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution within the states without restrictions,” he said.

He pointed to examples such as Oyo State, which has taken proactive steps to build capacity in this area. “The team from Oyo State has issued us a notice, and they are currently spending a week in the commission, understudying what we do. Before coming to the commission, they have been to Ghana. They have also had an intensive 11-week training session with an international regulatory body. So the states are going to build capacity, learn, and grow,” he noted.

Addressing customer complaints, Akpeneye emphasized the importance of following the established process. “Before a customer can have their complaints addressed NERC, they first have to lodge a complaint at the Discos. If the Disco doesn’t respond at a specific time, you can now approach a small mediatory group called the consumer forum of NERC for redress,” he said.

He assured Nigerians that NERC’s customer protection regulations ensure fairness in resolving issues. “The complaint process has gone on well. We have seen situations where complaints don’t get resolved the Discos and get escalated to NERC and they get resolved. We always ensure that customers get a fair resolution. Where a customer has been overbilled, they get fair redress. But when customers bypass meters, we also make sure the case gets addressed appropriately,” Akpeneye concluded.