THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has warned electricity consumers and businesses found guilty of bypassing electricity meters, of a new fine order while reinforcing its stance against power theft.
The regulator in a revised Order on “Unauthorised Access, Meter Tampering, and Bypass” posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account, NERC outlined new regulations to curb illegal connections.
The new order, NERC said seeks to reduce unauthorised access to electricity, meter tampering, and by-pass, and to also establish transparent reconnection guidelines to ensure compliance.
This replaces the previous directive, Order No: NERC/REG/41/2017, and took effect on 22 January 2025.
The order aligns with the Electricity Act 2023 and the Customer Protection Regulations (CPR) 2023, reinforcing compliance measures and ensuring better enforcement against meter violations.
Under the new framework, distribution companies (DisCos) now have the authority to disconnect illegal connections without prior notice. According to the order, clear reconnection guidelines have also been established, ensuring transparency and discouraging repeat offences.
The regulator warned that consumers caught tampering with their meters will face significant financial penalties.
For non-Maximum Demand (MD) meters, the fine for a first offence is set at N100,000 for single-phase meters and N200,000 for three-phase meters. Subsequent violations will attract higher penalties of N150,000 and N300,000, respectively.
The commission has urged consumers to ensure compliance with metering regulations to avoid fines and disconnection.
Notably, DisCos have been directed to launch awareness campaigns to educate customers on the legal and financial consequences of meter tampering, emphasising the need to regularise their electricity connections.
The ICIR reported that 6,156,726, representing 46.15 per cent of 13,339,635 registered electricity customers have been metered as of September 30, 2024.
This means that 7,182,909 customers are yet to be metered, representing 53.85 per cent of unmetered electricity customers across the country.
It stated, “184,507 end-user customers were metered across all the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) with Ikeja, Ibadan, and Abuja DisCos recording the highest number of meter installations – they accounted for 25.45 per cent, 21.48 per cent, and 14.61per cent respectively, of the total installations.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.