Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology, Banking and the Economy.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reported that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) across the country received 275,681 customer complaints in the last quarter of 2024.

According to NERC’s quarterly report, this number is 16.13% lower than the 328,696 complaints recorded in the third quarter of the year.

Among the DisCos, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) received the most complaints, with 54,683 cases. Eko DisCo followed with 47,911 complaints, while Ibadan DisCo recorded 47,510 cases.

Other DisCos received the following complaints: Abuja DisCo (23,963), Ikeja DisCo (23,236), Jos DisCo (19,882), Kano DisCo (17,328), Enugu DisCo (15,617), Benin DisCo (13,953), Aba DisCo (5,513), and Kaduna DisCo (4,168). Yola DisCo had the fewest complaints, with 1,917 cases.

NERC stated that complaints decreased in nine DisCos during the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. The largest declines were seen in Kaduna, Kano, Eko, Yola, Enugu, and Abuja DisCos.

However, Benin, Aba, and Ikeja DisCos recorded more complaints in the fourth quarter than in the third.

The report revealed that the majority of the 275,681 complaints received by DisCos in the fourth quarter of 2024 were related to metering (51.29%), billing (10.70%), and service interruptions (8.49%).

Together, these three issues made up 70.48% of all complaints recorded during the quarter.

NERC reported that its customer complaints unit (CCU) received 4,180 complaints from electricity consumers in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Out of these, only 1,231 cases were resolved, resulting in a resolution rate of 29.45%.

The report also noted that this resolution rate was 1.70 percentage points lower than the 31.15% recorded in the third quarter of 2024.

NERC said:

“Customers of Ikeja and Eko Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) lodged 1,731 and 836 complaints respectively accounting for 41.41 percent, and 20.00 percent of the total complaints lodged at NERC-CCU.

“Conversely, Aba Power had the lowest number of complaints with eight amounting to 0.19 percent.”

In a previous article, Legit.ng highlighted the correct channel for electricity consumers to follow to escalate their complaints to the appropriate authority.

The commission raised concerns about the low resolution rate and stated that steps are being taken to help DisCos resolve disputes faster.

According to the report, complaints related to metering made up 36.82% of the total cases in the fourth quarter.

Other major issues among the 4,180 complaints included billing (31.24%), service interruptions (15.50%), and tariff band concerns (6.29%).

NERC noted that these four categories accounted for 89.85% of all complaints received during the quarter.

The report also mentioned that resolved billing complaints led to a total credit adjustment of N40.2 million on customers’ bills.

However, in a previous report, Legit.ng disclosed that electricity consumers across the country failed to settle a total of N348.84 billion in bills issued by the 11 DisCos in the first nine months of 2024.

Meanwhile, a Lagos State University (LASU) lecturer, Dr. Tunde Akanni, has petitioned the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) over alleged extortion through estimated billing and refusal to replace old prepaid meters.

He accused IKEDC officials of exploiting customers under the guise of replacing Unistar prepaid meters and ignoring warnings from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

In his petition, dated December 29, 2024, he called on the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) and FCCPC to intervene and stop the alleged unfair practices.

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Source: Legit.ng