The Electricity Meters Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (EMMAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to break the monopoly of distribution companies in the sale of meters to electricity consumers.
In a statement by the Executive Secretary of EMMAN, Mr Muyideen Ibrahim in Lagos on Monday, the group said such move would go a long way in addressing the challenges associated with estimated billings.
Ibrahim stated that breaking the monopoly will enable electricity consumers to procure and own meters directly.
He said this would address complaints over estimated billing and outrageous billing from the distribution companies.
Ibrahim said that the association had always advocated that government should liberalise the metering arm of the power sector so that everybody could have access to meters.
“If every consumer has prepaid meter, it will allow them to manage the electricity consumption, and the Discos will collect revenue maximally without billing outrageously.
“But now the consumers are short-changed because they are being given estimated bills. It presupposes that the Discos are smiling to the bank while the consumers are suffering.
“Unfortunately, some of the Discos are complaining that they don’t have the fund to invest massively in metering, whereas the meters are available in the various warehouses of the manufacturers.
“If the telecom sector could be liberalised, why not metering? The only thing is that it will enhance the whole power sector and also add value as well,’’ he said.
