The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has slammed a fine of N200 million on Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) for tariff violations, including overcharging customers.
In a statement on Friday, the NERC also gave AEDC an April 11 ultimatum to reimburse affected customers.
AEDC had in an April 4 statement admitted overcharging some Band A customers who had been downgraded to Band B, attributing the situation to a system glitch.
The customers were overcharged while trying to recharge their meters following the new tariff regime.
The new tariff regime was approved by the NERC on April 3.
The commission said customers who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily will pay N225 per kilowatt (kW), starting from April 3 — up from N66.
NERC said the decision to fine AEDC followed a detailed review and customer feedback, which revealed AEDC had applied the new tariff to all customer bands, contrary to the regulator’s directive, which was designed to ensure fair billing practices.
The regulator said AEDC is mandated to reimburse “all customers in Bands B, C, D and E respectively that were billed above the allowed customer categories/tariff bands provided in the Order.”
“Reimburse through the provision of the balance of customer tokens that the affected customers would be entitled to receive at the applicable rates and all token reimbursements shall be issued to the affected customers by 11 April 2024.
“Pay the sum of ₦200,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) as a fine for the flagrant breach of the Commission’s Order.
“File evidence of compliance with the directives in a & c with the Commission by 12 April 2024.”
NERC said the fine underscores its commitment to protecting consumer rights and ensuring equitable practices within Nigeria’s electricity sector.
