Residents of Millennium City in Kaduna have called on Governor Uba Sani to prevail on Kaduna Electric to halt the proposed replacement of existing electricity meters in compliance with an existing court order.
Addressing a press conference over the weekend in Kaduna,Chairman Ministerial Plot Housing Estate Residents Associations MPHERA, Shafik Shira on behalf of all other estates, decried the insistence of Kaduna Electric on replacing a fully serviceable and functional meters with new ones, despite an existing court case on the matter, asking for maintaining a status quo.
Shira said the affected residents were not opposed to Kaduna Electric, electricity development or proper metering, but were worried about the manner in which the proposed meter replacement was being carried out.
He stated that the community would remain law-abiding and had established an Electricity Committee to promote the integrity of the electricity supply system while protecting the interests of both consumers and Kaduna Electric.
According to him,”the matter is already before the court and the electricity distribution company should allow the judicial process to run its course instead of taking further actions that could complicate the issue and possibly plunging a community of close to two million people into avoidable darkeness at a time of security challenge in some part of the area.
“Just yesterday, we received another disconnection notice. We strongly question the basis for disconnecting an entire community simply because residents have raised legitimate objections to a disputed metering exercise of a particular DISREP meter which is our legit right in NERC Customer Protection Regulatinons, “he maintained.
Shira raised concerns over the proposed installation of meters on electricity poles, saying such installations must comply with relevant NERC and Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, NEMSA, regulations and respect the rights of electricity consumers.
He noted that NEMSA had already conducted a technical verification exercise on meters within the affected estates and identified some meters that required replacement or further action.
The Chairman maintained that the exercise did not amount to a blanket approval for Kaduna Electric to replace all existing meters, urging the company to abide by NEMSA’s technical recommendations.
He also sought clarification on the status of existing Meter Asset Provider, MAP, meters purchased by residents, particularly outstanding energy-credit reimbursements and the implications of replacing such meters on the entitlements of affected consumers.
He expressed the supports of the community to proper metering and protection of Kaduna Electric’s revenue revenue, but insisted that all actions must be carried out in accordance with the law.
He recalled that for nearly a decade, residents and community structures in Millennium City had cooperated with Kaduna Electric and provided support and infrastructure that facilitated electricity distribution within the communities.
The Chairman also said they had received complaints from electricity consumers across Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states concerning metering, billing and electricity consumption, urging relevant authorities to investigate the issues rather than dismiss the complaints.
While appealing to Governor Uba Sani to use his good office by intervening in the matter, Shira urged the electricity distribution company to de-escalate the situation, respect the ongoing court process, comply with NERC and NEMSA regulations, and return to the negotiating table for meaningful engagement.