The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed power distribution companies to reimburse all overbilled Band B customers by April 11, in response to complaints following the implementation of the April 2024 additional Multi-Year Tariff Order.
The directive, issued on Saturday, comes after consumers not classified under Band A raised concerns over being charged N225/KWh for power consumption.
Following the government’s announcement on Wednesday that it would no longer subsidize power consumption for Band A customers, discrepancies arose as DisCos began charging certain customers on Bands B, C, D, and E at the increased rate.
In light of this, NERC instructed DisCos to compensate affected customers and ensure adherence to the newly approved Band A feeders listed in their April 2024 supplementary orders.
To facilitate transparency and accountability, DisCos are required to promptly publish the schedule of impacted Band A feeds on their websites by April 10, 2024.
Furthermore, customers wrongly billed at the new rate must be refunded through energy tokens no later than April 11, with evidence of compliance filed to NERC by April 12.
NERC affirmed its commitment to monitoring compliance and providing necessary support to stakeholders amid ongoing concerns over electricity tariff hikes and customer classifications.
