Rep Pass Bill To Criminalize Estimated Billing, Says It’s Fraudulent.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that seeks to prohibit and criminalize the imposition of estimated billing by the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs).

The lawmakers stressed the need for the DISCOs to provide prepaid meters to all power consumers across the country.

He said Nigeria is the only country where electricity consumers are made to pay for the service through estimated billing. He described the situation as shameful.

In his explanation, Hon Gbajabiamila, who sponsored the bill, stated that estimated billing is a practice that is unlawful and highly fraudulent. He described it as the biggest fraud in the history of the country

He added that the excuse of the unavailability of electricity meters causing the estimated billing practice should be unacceptable to a people-sensitive house.

When the proposed law is assented to by the President, it will become criminal for service providers to issue estimated bills, issuance of which would attract either a one-year jail term or a fine of N1m or both.

The proposed law would also compel a distribution company to provide prepaid meter to an applicant within 30 days, while barring the DISCOs from disconnecting the consumer after the 30-day period within which meter should be installed.