Nigerian local metre manufacturers seek govt approval for direct sale to customers

Kola Balogun, president of Momas Electricity Meter Manufacturing Company (MEMMCOL) has asked the federal government to license selected indigenous companies to sell prepaid meters directly to consumers.

Balogun made the call in an interview with the Nigerian News Agency on Tuesday in Lagos.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, had stated that 62.67 per cent of registered electricity customers in Nigeria still had an estimated turnover in September 2021.

Mr Balogun noted that the huge measurement gap for end customers remained a key challenge in the industry and was responsible for the apathy towards

payment of electricity bills.

He said: “The government can select some proven and reliable manufacturers that have the capacity and support them so that the majority of consumers buy prepaid meters directly from them.

“They can license them just like banks, telecommunications and insurance companies.

“We, as manufacturers, want NERC to give us the space to sell directly to consumers and take it to the electricity distribution companies for installation.

“It is as simple as that because there is no meter that we produce that does not meet the Nigerian standard.”

He said that if the locally manufactured meters met the certification of Nigeria’s Electricity Management Services Agency, NEMSA, consumers would be able to buy them and bring them to DisCos.

According to him, this will not only close the measurement gap and strengthen the revenue efficiency of DisCos, but also create huge job opportunities for Nigerians.

Balogun said: “This will speed up the measurement process. There are some people who can’t wait for Discos to install meters on their premises.

“They have their money and they want to buy meters but they are going through a lot of bureaucracy at the hands of the DisCos.

“Many consumers are frustrated by the estimated billing system and want to get their meters as soon as possible.

“We have people who have made payments for meters but have not yet been metered due to various problems.”

Mr Balogun also commended the government for the successful completion of Phase Zero of the National Mass Measurement Program, NMMP, and the support provided to local meter manufacturers.

He said the companies were prepared for the start of the next phase and working to ensure the meters met the government’s 4G network requirements.