Oil & Energy
Towards Efficient Metering Of Customers’ Houses
The recent directive by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that distribution companies (DISCOs), under the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) should ensure the metering of all customers’ houses across the country within 18 months could simply be seen as a blue-Peter or blanket-bath for the unbundled power company.
It has since been noticed by Nigerians that even when houses are metered, NEPA/PHCN staff do not read meters before billing, rather they deliberately estimate and issue ‘crazy bills’ and charging consumers for power they did not consume. Even the distribution companies claim that average consumption of those who were adequately metered was applied to a cluster of residence to arrive at estimated consumption and customers believe that the DISCOs calculations for estimated billing were not based on established scientific or reliable parameters.
Eyo Ekpo, the Commissioner for Marketing, Competition and Rates of the NERC had ordered all the DISCOs to submit their metering plans for an effective billing system, adding that the distribution companies were expected to complete the metering process between 12 and 18 months.
“We have told them that between 12 and 18 months, they should be able to meter all houses of their customers” , Ekpo said.
According to him, NERC is determined to ensure greater number of meter distribution to customers.
The main issue bothering customers and Nigerians as a whole is not the metering of their houses but the question is, are PHCN staff prepared to read the meters and give consumers accurate bills?
Metering of electricity in Nigeria, according to a report submitted by the Metering Inquiry Committee, began with the production and consumption of electricity around 1895. The system and process are, however, bedeviled by inefficiencies and corrupt practices.
Historically, electricity metering was centrally coordinated with the various units of NEPA/PHCN at the distribution end relying on the procurement apparatus at the headquarters to procure and distribute meters to customers through three central stores. This inefficient system led to a backlog of meter requests by customers who pay for such services without the meters being installed.
The resultant effect has been the institutionalization of the unwholesome practice of estimated billing and the attendant customer dissatisfaction and disappointment, which partly accounts for consumers’ refusal to register for meters.
It is against this backdrop that the Metering Inquiry Committee was set up to garner data and information on the root cause of the endemic metering crisis in the country which impacts the electricity sector negatively. During its assignment a few weeks ago, the committee discovered that less than 50 per cent of the registered customers in the Nigerian Electricity sector are metered.
This has led to the prevalent practice of arbitrary charges based on unscientific estimation of electricity consumed by customers by the DISCOs in order to meet up with their overhead costs in an environment of inefficiency and dwindling supply of electricity.
According to the committee’s report, the total number of customers captured in the records of operators of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry is 5,172,979, which represents 18.65 per cent of Nigeria’s total households put at 28,900,492 as provided by records from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2006. This record, however, does not include those enjoying electricity illegally who are not registered by the DISCOs, known as illegal consumers’.
Out of the number of customers registered, 2,893,701 or 55.94 per cent were metered, while 2,355,045 or 45.53 per cent were unmetered. The Committee, however, discovered that out of the total number of customers metered, about 701,385 or 22 per cent of the meters were faulty. At present, a total of 2,956,069 or 54.83 per cent of all the customers registered are not metered at all or have no functional meters. On the average, therefore, only about 2,434,541 or a minute 8.42 per cent of the total households in Nigeria are currently being billed correctly by all DISCOs if a household is used as our metering index.
The remaining registered customers are, therefore, at the mercy of estimated billing. This development has created a wide gap in effective billing which calls for emergency response.
In Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the Business Manager, Diobu Business Unit of the PHCN, Festus Mmegbu disclosed that as at march this year, 85 per cent of the 36,000 customers using electricity in the area do not have meters. He said there was massive deployment and installation of meters going on and called on customers to register and pay for meters.
He regretted that failure by customers to install meters at their premises was causing under-estimation.
Most customers are clamouring for pre-paid meters as a more efficient metering system that can guarantee accurate billing. This is why the Chief Executive of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company Plc expressed concern over agitations of customers for prepaid meters which are being used in the area currently.
There is need to develop and adopt a metering system aimed at making smooth and effective our electricity operations. To ensure customer satisfaction, special units should be established by the distribution companies such as tracking/management of customer account records and debts to ensure that no unwarranted debts or excessive estimations are made and also ensure that where frivolous estimates were made in the past, they will be expunged to give credibility to the bills and billing operations.
Electricity distribution companies should ensure fairness in dealing with their customers to maintain the trust and confidence reposed in them. There should be an elaborate customer reclassification exercise aimed at ensuring that no customer is placed on the wrong tariff class. To enjoy the cooperation of customers, distribution companies must make sure that their Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are responsible, efficient and accountable.
They should avoid the situation where monies for meters are paid through draft by customers to the CEOs and there is no feedback as to whether they get the meter or not, and how long the customer stays before getting meter. It is discovered that in most of distribution companies, customers paid for meters for years and yet were not supplied any. In most cases, meters are not scarce but the company staff demand for kick-back before releasing the meter.
There are also evidences of some DISCOs refusing customers’ payments for meters, especially pre-payment meters. Indeed, sharp practices and inefficiencies are the hallmarks of the metering system in Nigeria, from ageing power plants and terrible transmission lines to more importantly, rampant corruption and poor collection rates.
In all the six geo-political zones visited by the Metering Inquiry Committee, complaints ranging from refusal to meter customers, estimated billing following refusal to read installed Non-PPM meters, culture of impunity of PHCN staff, connivance of some unscrupulous PHCN staff with private individuals to defraud the public were received.
Other irregularities discovered were demand for money for preferential treatment in various forms such as hot lines, tamper code, PR (unreceipted additional payment for supply of meters. Estimated billing was the norm in all the DISCOs visited by the committee. For instance, customers in Lagos, Enugu, Yola, Kaduna, Makurdi and Abuja distribution companies alleged that delay in the supply of meters to customers and blantant refusal to obtain correct meter readings which resulted in estimated billing were deliberate. They were of the view that with the poor supply of electricity in the country and gross inefficiency on the part of distribution companies to curtail operational losses (human and technical) estimate billing remains the only option for the DISCOs.
For Nigeria to get it right in the metering policy, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) should review the operations of the distribution companies, especially now that the power sector reform is on the front burner of the present administration coupled with the privatization process of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
NERC should adopt a regulatory system that would make it obligatory for DISCOs to meter their distribution transformers for adequate energy accounting and equity as well as intensify its monitoring and enforcement machinery to ensure proper implementation of existing regulations on metering, billing and cash collection. There shall be overall improvement in customer service and operations to eliminate the culture of impunity prevailing in the electricity sector.
Shedie Okpara
Oil & Energy
Nigeria Loses More Crude Oil Than Some OPEC Members – Nwoko

Nigeria’s losses due to crude oil theft has been said to be more significant than those of some other members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC).
The Chairman, Senate Ad- hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft, Senator Ned Nwoko, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Nwoko noted with dismay the detrimental impact of the issue, which, he said include economic damage, environmental destruction, and its impact on host communities.
According to him, the theft was not only weakening the Naira, but also depriving the nation of vital revenue needed for infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District described the scale of the theft as staggering, with reports indicating losses of over 200,000 barrels per day.
Nwoko disclosed that the ad hoc committee on Crude Oil Theft, which he chairs, recently had a two-day public hearing on the rampant theft of crude oil through illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, and the systemic gaps in the regulation and surveillance of the nation’s petroleum resources.
According to him, the public hearing was a pivotal step in addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing the nation.
‘’Nigeria loses billions of dollars annually to crude oil theft. This is severely undermining our economy, weakening the Naira and depriving the nation of vital revenue needed for infrastructure, healthcare, education, and social development.
‘’The scale of this theft is staggering, with reports indicating losses of over 200,000 barrels per day more than some OPEC member nations produce.
‘’This criminal enterprise fuels corruption, funds illegal activities and devastates our environment through spills and pollution.
‘’The public hearing was not just another talk shop; it was a decisive platform to uncover the root causes of crude oil theft, bunkering and pipeline vandalism.
‘’It was a platform to evaluate the effectiveness of existing surveillance, monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms; Identify regulatory and legislative gaps that enable these crimes to thrive.
‘’It was also to engage stakeholders, security agencies, host communities, oil companies, regulators, and experts to proffer actionable solutions; and strengthen legal frameworks to ensure stricter penalties and more efficient prosecution of offenders”, he said.
Nwoko noted that Nigeria’s survival depended
Oil & Energy
Tap Into Offshore Oil, Gas Opportunities, SNEPCO Urges Companies

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SNEPCo) has called on Nigerian companies to position themselves strategically to take full advantage of the growing opportunities in upcoming offshore and shallow water oil and gas projects.
The Managing Director, SNEPCO, Ronald Adams, made the call at the 5th Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) Conference, held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, last Thursday.
Adams highlighted the major projects, including Bonga Southwest Aparo, Bonga North, and the Bonga Main Life Extension, as key areas where Nigerian businesses can grow their capacity and increase their involvement.
“Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SNEPCo) says Nigerian companies have a lot to benefit if they are prepared to take advantage of more opportunities in its offshore and shallow water oil and gas projects.
“Projects such as Bonga Southwest Aparo, Bonga North and Bonga Main Life Extension could grow Nigerian businesses and improve their expertise if they applied themselves seriously to executing higher value contracts”, Adams stated.
Adams noted that SNEPCo pioneered Nigeria’s deepwater oil exploration with the Bonga development and has since played a key role in growing local industry capacity.
He emphasized that Nigerian businesses could expand in key areas like logistics, drilling, and the construction of vital equipment such as subsea systems, mooring units, and gas processing facilities.
The SNEPCO boss explained that since production began at the Bonga field in 2005, SNEPCo has worked closely with Nigerian contractors to build systems and develop a skilled workforce capable of delivering projects safely, on time, and within budget both in Nigeria and across West Africa.
According to him, this long-term support has enabled local firms to take on key roles in managing the Bonga Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which reached a major milestone by producing its one-billion barrel of oil on February 3, 2023.
Oil & Energy
Administrator Assures Community Of Improved Power Supply

The Emohua Local Government Area Administrator, Franklin Ajinwo, has pledged to improve electricity distribution in Oduoha Ogbakiri and its environs.
Ajinwo made the pledge recently while playing host in a courtesy visit to the Oduoha Ogbakiri Wezina Council of Chiefs, in his office in Rumuakunde.
He stated that arrangements are underway to enhance available power, reduce frequent outages, and promote steady electricity supply.
The move, he said, was aimed at boosting small and medium-scale businesses in the area.
“The essence of power is not just to have light at night. It’s for those who can use it to enhance their businesses”, he said.
The Administrator, who commended the peaceful nature of Ogbakiri people, urged the Chiefs to continue in promoting peace and stability, saying “meaningful development can only thrive in a peaceful environment”.
He also charged the Chiefs to protect existing infrastructure while promising to address the challenges faced by the community.
Earlier, the Oduoha Ogbakiri Wezina Council of Chiefs, led by HRH Eze Goodluck Mekwa Eleni Ekenta XV, expressed gratitude to the Administrator over his appointment and pledged their support to his administration.
The chiefs highlighted challenges facing the community to include incessant power outage, need for new transformers, and the completion of Community Secondary School, Oduoha.
The visit underscored the community’s expectations from the LGA administration.
With Ajinwo’s assurance of enhancing electricity distribution and promoting development, the people of Oduoha Ogbakiri said they look forward to a brighter future.
By: King Onunwor
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