More than three million prepayment meters are to be rolled out under the federal government’s intervention programme, Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, disclosed in Lagos yesterday. The intervention followed the incapacity of Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to meter all the houses of consumers across the country. Fashola, who is also the Minister of Works and Housing said that government had in 2003 awarded contract for the meters, but they were not supplied. “In 2003, the government awarded a contract for three million meters, but they were not supplied. I inherited it, they were in court and I am trying to take it out of the court so that we can settle and start the supply,’’ he said.
“There is a database of six million households; it is a faulty base because we have more than six million households in the country. “There are four types of consumers – R1 (poorest consumer), R2, R3 and maximum demand consumers — and they are not on the same plan. “DISCOs need to go into these houses, do an audit to determine the type of meters to install. “If you have a wrong meter, you will pay wrong price or bill. A meter is both a safety device and a measuring device; it can under read or over read or cause fire if not properly installed. “But, essentially, the DISCOs must provide meters, it is only fair and let the consumer manage his consumption and billing system because he has a meter’’, Fashola added. NAN reports that electricity consumers pay N25,000 (official), N35, 000 (fast-track) for a single-phase meter, while the three-phase models go for N50,000 and above
