68% Electricity Consumers Dey Bypass Prepaid Meters — FG

Over 68 per cent of electricity consumers for Naija dey bypass dia prepaid meters, dey use light without pay, na wetin Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) don yarn. Di matter come out for Abuja yesterday during di fifth annual conference of di Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria (PCAN), wey stakeholders for di power sector talk say dem need balanced electricity tariff wey go protect consumers but still make operators fit survive. According to NISO board member, Audu Lamu, millions of households for Naija still no get reliable electricity, some no even dey connected proper, while others no fit afford di cost of power. E talk say energy poverty no just mean lack of connection, e mean say people no fit pay enough for daily life or small business. Lamu yarn say cost-reflective tariffs na necessary, but di wahala be how dem go do am without make poor people suffer. E suggest say dem fit give targeted subsidies to low-income consumers only, use lifeline tariffs and data-driven welfare rebates to protect dem while make market dey work efficiently.

Di revelation show say Naija power sector dey enter wahala again because utilities wey dey struggle to collect money dey face power theft. NISO General Manager, Ali Bukar, talk say dis meter bypassing dey affect di financial stability of di sector and call for strict enforcement plus technology wey fit reduce theft. Di Managing Director of Mainstream Energy Limited, Audu Lamu, yarn say economic wahala dey make plenty people no fit pay light bills, and inflation, unemployment, plus low purchasing power dey worsen di matter. PCAN Chairman, Obas Esiedesa, yarn say more than 10 years after power sector privatization, balancing tariff still hard, di industry get N6 trillion debt wey federal government dey owe generators, plus gas shortage, weak transmission, and rising forex dey scare investors. Energy analysts talk say Naija dey operate below installed capacity because of poor infrastructure, low liquidity, and meter bypassing, and without enforcement, consumer protection, and proper pricing, di electricity sector fit remain in crisis.