By Pascal Ibe 

On Thursday, a popular broadcast journalist, Oseni Rufai shared on X, a public notice from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) , which stated the rights of every electricity consumer to curb arbitrariness by the DisCos and aid consumers in fighting for their rights.

The public notice shared by Oseni Rufai which was signed by the NERC Acting CEO/chairman, Dr Anthony Akah, said that henceforth “All new electricity connections must be done strictly on the basis of metering before connection. That is, no new customer should be connected without meter first being installed.

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PUBLIC NOTICE FROM THE NIGERIAN ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION (NERC) Bellow 👇

NERC is the body empowered to meet the yearnings of Nigerians for stable, adequate and safe electricity supply. The Commission, in a public notice released on Saturday, said it has taken the bull by the horn by releasing to the public, the rights of every electricity consumer to curb arbitrariness by the DisCos and aid consumers in fighting for their rights.

The NERC Acting CEO/Chairman, Dr. Anthony Akah, who personally signed the public notice titled “Good News For Electricity Consumers!” also said that henceforth.

 *1*. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has declared that it is illegal for any electricity Distribution Company (DisCo) to carry out disconnection of a customer’s power supply without prior notification in writing.

 *2*. “All new electricity connections must be done strictly on the basis of metering before connection. That is, no new customer should be connected without meter first being installed.

 *3*. “It is the customer’s right to be notified in writing ahead of disconnection of electricity service by the electricity distribution company serving the customer in line with NERC’s guidelines,” the public notice read.

Other rights of the electricity consumer as contained in the public notice are as follows:

 *4.* “A customer who elects to procure meter under the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) Scheme must be metered within 60 days, after which the customer will neither be billed nor disconnected by the electricity distribution company.”

 *5.* “It is the customer’s right to transparent electricity billing. Unmetered customers should be issued with electricity bills strictly based on NERC’s estimated billing methodology.”

 *6.* “It is the customer’s right to prompt investigation of complaints arising from the customer’s electricity service disruption”.

 *7.* “It is not the responsibility of electricity customer or community to buy, replace or repair electricity transformers, poles and related equipment used in the supply of electricity.”

 *8.* “It is the customer’s right to contest any electricity bill. Any unmetered customer who is disputing his or her estimated bill has the right not to pay the disputed bill, but pay only the last undisputed bill as the contested bill goes through the dispute resolution process of NERC.”

The commission urged customers to send all complaints on electricity supply and other billing issues to the nearest business unit of the electricity company serving their premises.

However, NERC said,

 *9.* “If your complaint is not satisfactorily addressed, you can forward your complaint to the NERC Forum Office within the coverage area of your electricity distribution company. Customers also have the right to appeal the decision of the forum at the NERC headquarters in Abuja.”

The Commission also published NERC Zonal Office Contacts for easier access and these are:

• Joseph John *South-West* (08164201445)

• Tony Ray Ene *South-South* (08130363581) 

• Ekeh Samuel Chukwuemeka *South-East* (08062219714) 

• Hassan GWANDU *North-West* (07061117416) 

• Mohammed Umar Fufore *North-East* (07061097132) 

• Friday Sule

 *North-Central* (07036948408).

The Commission urged customers to share this information and “help us protect your rights” but however warned against neglecting their obligations.

“Note that you have an obligation to pay your valid electric bills, avoid meter by-pass or stealing of electricity and protect power infrastructure from being vandalised,” the agency stated.

The post by Oseni Rufai on X has generated over 146k views and more than 1k reposts by X users as at early Friday morning.

Persons who commented on the post, thanked the journalist for sharing the latest information.

See comments below 👇

The FactWatch observed that this public notice has also been shared in many WhatsApp groups.

Bio 

Rufai Oseni is a popular Nigerian TV presenter, radio personality, public speaker, On-Air Personality (OAP), and writer. He is widely recognized for his work on Arise TV, where he hosts the morning show, delving into topics such as politics, business, sports, and entertainment. Rufai’s dynamic presence and engaging style have made him a prominent figure in Nigerian media. 

Verification

First, when this Fact Checker copied and pasted on Google search, the part of NERC’s public notice posted by Oseni, it was discovered that a blog identified as The Pioneer, has already published this same notice in 2022.

Further check shows that other news organizations like the Economic Confidential, Abuja Network News and some X users also shared this public notice in May/June 2024.

FactWatch found out that there’s no single authoritative document attached to this public notice from NERC to show it was recent.

Now the outstanding finding this Fact Checker made is that the public notice was signed by Dr Anthony Akah, who was the acting CEO/chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission  in 2016 to early 2017.

It was discovered that a new set of commissioners were sworn into office on February 7, 2017, filling a vacuum that had existed from December 2015 when the term of the last Board led by Mr. Sam Amadi expired. Sam Amadi served as Chairman/CEO of the Commission from December 18, 2010 to December 2015. During the 14 month vacuum, Anthony Akah acted as Chairman/CEO of the Commission.

According to report by Daily Trust in 2020, three General Managers (GMs) described as the most senior at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) proceeded on their terminal leave.

The affected GMs include Dr Tony Akah who heads the Corporate Services. Akah was the acting Chairman of the Commission for over one year between 2016 and 2017, before the present crop of NERC commissioners assumed office.

Checks on the website of NERC shows that the current CEO/Chairman,  Engr. Sanusi Garba assumed office in December 2020. Whereas the public notice shared by Oseni Rufai, was signed by Dr Anthony Akah who chaired the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in 2016/2017.

See a report by Nairametrics which confirmed that Engr. Sanusi Garba assumed office in 2020.

FactWatch couldn’t see this public notice, when checked on the official X account of NERC to confirm that it’s a recent public notice.

Verdict 

This public notice posted by Oseni Rufai is MISLEADING,  as thorough finding indicated that it’s not a recent public notice.