Power distribution companies (DisCo) in Nigeria have specific obligations to every consumer before disconnecting supply.
These obligations are:
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A DisCo must write to a customer 10 days before disconnecting from power supply
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It is illegal for any official working for a DisCo to barge into a customer’s premises even if he has outstanding debt
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A DisCo must first serve a warning in writing to a customer owing electricity bill before taking any action
However, a DisCo can disconnect a customer owing electricity bill under the following conditions:
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Payment date is clearly shown on the bill
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Payment date is at least 10 working days from the date of delivery of the bill
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Payment date has not been superseded by subsequent payment date issued to the same customer
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The distribution company has verified from its records that the bill has not been paid
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period between the payment date and the date of disconnection is not less than three months
The distribution company has warned the customer in writing that supply is about to be cut off
Conditions upon which a distribution company can disconnect a customer without notice
- If the connection is done illegally
- where a distribution company considers a customer installation to be dangerous to health or integrity of the network
- If the customer’s meter is inaccessible (provided the DisCo informs the customer of the inaccessibility 10 days before disconnection)
