Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, on Thursday made a defense hearing before the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, over non-compliance with the capping of estimated billing as ordered by the Commission.
The defence particularly bordered on a sanction contained in an order on non-compliance with estimated billing issued by the NERC in February 2024.
NERC had initially issued the order on capping of estimated billing in 2020 and reviews the compliance level periodically.
All the 11 Distribution Companies, DisCos in the country were penalized recently for their observed non-compliance with the order spanning from January to September 2023.
Making his defense, Head of Billing, IBEDC, Mr. Ayoola Adio, argued that the DisCo frequently conforms with current requirements and that there was a discrepancy in the period for which the defaults were reported.
Also, the Managing Director of IBEDC, Engr. Kingsley Achife, assured that his leadership at the Ibadan DisCo was against overbilling of customers.
Responding, the Vice Chairman of NERC and Chairman of the hearing panel, Dr. Musiliu Oseni, said the appeal by IBEDC was filed beyond the 60 days allowed for the filing of an appeal against any regulatory judgement.
Oseni said NERC only decided to approve IBEDC’s request to hold the hearing and mentioned that a combined NERC and IBEDC team will reach a resolution point.
