Business
Cooperate With Intended Meter Providers, Association Urges DISCOs
The Electricity Meters Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (EMMAN) has appealed to the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to cooperate with the intended Meter Assets Providers (MAP) to bridge the wide metering gaps in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of EMMAN, Mr Muideen Ibrahim, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos recently, against the backdrop of metering challenges in the country.
“ I appeal to Discos to cooperate with the intended meter providers, because the only language electricity consumers understand currently is metering of their premises which Discos have not been doing.
“ Now that MAPs has come up, it is another scheme that can be explored so that consumers will be metered as and when due,” he said.
The source reports that the implementation of MAP regulation recently introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, (NERC), takes off on April 3, 2018.
MAP was introduced in a renewed bid toward ensuring that electricity customers only pay for what they actually consumed.
The regulation provides for the supply, installation and maintenance of end-user meters by other parties approved by the commission.
Ibrahim said that the appeal became necessary as some new meter providers would be given licences to commence massive installation of meters to electricity consumers to fast-track closure of metering gaps.
The EMMAN scribe said that the new regulation on metering would stand as a relief for electricity consumers which would enable them to get meters as quickly as possible.
He said that the new arrangement was aimed at eliminating the estimated billing practice; attracting private investment into the provision of metering services; and closing the metering gap through accelerated meter rollout in power sector.
According to him, the new metering regulation initiated by NERC was commendable, which I described as a step in the right direction.
Ibrahim also expressed the association’s profound gratitude to Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, for his concern and commitment toward addressing the metering gap in the sector.
“We need major financial institutions like Central Bank of Nigeria, World Bank, African Development Bank and others to come into that investment profile to guarantee long-term stability.
“The most important is that we must have sufficient head room in terms of asset base or credit worthiness of each of us that wants to apply as a MAP and be able to enjoy long-term credit line from such financial institutions.
“I know that this is possible. However, the good thing about this MAP policy is that, there are two ways to go about it.
“Consumers can as well pay for the prepaid meter willingly, and as well, they can opt not to pay, but spread the payment over a period of time.
“The fact that there is liberty for consumers to pay and install them with prepaid meter instantly will provide liberation for consumers from depending on estimated billing.
“This will be a great achievement for the government and the consumers,’’ Ibrahim added.
It would be recalled recalls that on March 28, Dr Usman Arabi, the Head, Public Affairs Department of NERC, said that the regulation was expected to fast-track the closure of the metering gap and encourage the development of independent and competitive meter services in the sector.
Arabi said that the MAP (Regulation No. NERC/R/112), which would become effective on April 3, 2018, introduces meter asset providers as a new set of service providers in Nigeria electricity supply industry.
According to him, as assets with a technically useful life of 10-15 years, the regulation provides for the third-party financing of meters, under a permit issued by the commission, and amortisation over a period of 10 years.
“The electricity distribution companies, in line with their licencing terms and conditions, are obliged to achieve their metering targets as set by the commission under the new regulation.
“The contracting of MAP shall be through an open, transparent and competitive bid process, thus ensuring that meters are provided at a least cost to electricity customers,’’ he said.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.