The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has been fined a sum of N200 million by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for breach of its order, News About Nigeria reports.
The Commission disclosed this in a statement on Friday, noting that AEDC failed to comply with the prescribed customer band classifications for tariff billing.
Recall that AEDC had been directed to increase the electricity tariff for Band A customers, which are those who receive a minimum of 20 hours of power supply per day.
However, customers who are outside this category have complained that their rates have been increased by AEDC without the 20-hour supply, in contravention of NERC’s order.
“This decision follows a detailed review and customer feedback, which revealed that AEDC had applied the new tariff to all customer bands, contrary to the order, which was designed to ensure fair billing practices.
“AEDC is therefore mandated to: a. 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. b. 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 April 11, 2024.
“c. pay the sum of ₦200,000,000.00 (two hundred million naira) as a fine for the flagrant breach of the Commission’s order.
“d. File evidence of compliance with the directives in a & c with the Commission by April 12, 2024,” the statement reads.
The Commission, therefore, apologised for any inconvenience caused to customers during this change and maintained that it is committed to improving the power supply to all categories of customers.
