Expert seeks probe of N37bn to procure pre-paid electricity meters
Lagos — A renewable energy expert, Mr Chinedu Amah, on Tuesday called on President Bola Tinubu to probe the N37 billion invested into the procurement and installation of pre-paid electricity meters.
Amah who is the founder of Spark Nigeria Ltd., made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Lagos.
He said that the probe was necessary as customers who paid for the meters were yet to get refund.
“The industry is going to face serious challenges with regards to customers who had already paid meters and would be seeking for refund.
“The policies which gave life to the Credit Advance Payment for Metering Installation (CAPMI) and the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) failed to put into consideration the liquidity issues faced by the sector, therefore has failed to resolve and implement the meter refund side of those programmes.
“Millions of Nigerians have paid different sums over the last couple of years on the premise that their purchase will be refunded; I do not think any refund has happened to this day.
“It will take one class action lawsuit and the industry will fall flat on debt to customers and interests which will roll into hundreds of millions of naira,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the Federal Government National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) was meant to meter four million power users in phases under the Meter Asset Providers initiative funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The NMMP is an initiative of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in conjunction with the Presidential Power Task Force.
The initiative was inaugurated in August 2020 to allow the CBN to fund the acquisition of meters on behalf of distribution companies by paying directly to the MAPs.
The free metering programme commenced with phase zero where one million meters were supposed to have been
distributed.