The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has laid out the specifics of various electricity-related offences and their respective penalties as outlined in the 2023 Electricity Act.
This information was disseminated by NERC through its official Twitter handle on Thursday, September 28.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the 2023 Electricity Act into law in June 2023.
The Act was signed to resolve all challenges within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry as well as promote competition among operators and increase the country’s electricity supply capacity.
Here is a breakdown of the provided details by NERC:
Impersonation Offense
Penalties: Fine of N300,000 or a prison term of at least 7 years, or both.
Non-compliance by Licensee
Penalties: Daily penalty not exceeding N20,000,000 for non-compliance with the Commission’s orders.
Unauthorized Connection, Reconnection, or Meter Alteration
Penalties: Jail term of not more than three years or fine not exceeding N500,000 with an additional fine of N10,000 for every continuing day of the offence.
Physical Assault on Staff
Penalties: Fine of up to N1,000,000 or imprisonment of up to 6 months, or both.
Unauthorized Ownership or Engagement in Electricity Business
Penalties: Fine of at least ten times the application and license fees for the contravened license, a jail term not exceeding 5 years, or both. Additionally, an order for permanent forfeiture of the undertaking to NERC.
Intentionally Cutting off the Electric Supply Line
Penalties: Fine of not less than N300,000.
Aiding or Abetting an Offense
Penalties: Vary based on the offence abetted.
Acts of Non-compliance or Contravention
Penalties: Jail term of not more than 3 months or a fine of N500,000 with an additional daily penalty of not more than N100,000 for a continuing offence.
Damage to Electricity Supply Material
Penalties: Fine of N300,000 and restoration of the damaged material or line.
Receipt of Stolen Electrical Property
Penalties: 14-year jail term or a fine of not more than three times the value of the stolen property or both jail term and fine.
Theft of Electricity (Tapping, Unlawful Connection, Meter Tampering, Bypassing)
Penalties: 3-year jail term or a fine or both.
Destruction of Public Streetlights
Penalties: Fine of up to N200,000.
Non-compliance with Rules, Orders, Licenses, or Decisions
Penalties: Fine of N500,000 or a 3-month jail term, with an additional penalty of N100,000 for every day the offence continues.
False Declaration
Penalties: Fine of not more than N100,000 or a jail term of not more than 6 months or both.
Tampering with Electric Lines or Material
Penalties: 3 to 5-year jail term or a fine of not less than N500,000 or both.
How many people can afford all these amounts you outlined here, you politicians don’t know how poor you have made Nigerians
Then any body who can pay those fines Should not break the law , or they will surly go to prison.
Would penalty apply to resolutions made by NERC but not carried out by the affected Disco?
What is the penalty for estimated billing, useless government
What is the penalty for non supply of electricity to customers for 24 hours
(2) What is the penalty for abandonment of vandalised/spoiled transformers for over 2-6 months
(3) What is the compensation to customers who are forced to repair damaged transformers/ wires
(4) What is penalty for over billing estimation
(5) What is the compensation to customers who’s current is below 90 volt.
In my area we are completely in black out since January till now September due to damaged transformer and BEDC said they are not ready for any repairs. In this case what should we so
It is unfair and lopsided. This penalties from NERC show that it supports poor quality of service, and fails to protect consumers’ right.
The commission failed to penalize the DISCO’s on estimated billing or crazy bills, electrocution accident due to their negligence, damage to consumers property due to high voltage or sudden power surge, intentional power outage called load shedding, poor or delayed response to fixing or replacing faulty transformer and other equipment, billing consumers for services not provided, even when they know that they did not supply electricity to consumers due to faulty transformers
What is the compensation for consumers they asked to buy transformers, poles and cables?
NERC, you have to wake up from your slumber to face reality and live up to expectations.
During the privatisation, one of the conditions is that the DISCO’s would deploy prepaid Meyers to all customers within the first six months of their operations, ten years after they are yet to meet one-third of their consumers and you NERC did not see anything wrong in that! Only to make draconian laws to support and encourage poor service delivery.
What measure do you put in place to monitor the quality of services doled out by these DISCOs, there are many communities around Lagos without power supply for years. On daily basis, we read in newspapers, heard their pleas on radio and television on how their communities were disconnected by your licesenced DISCOnnected companies, merchant of darkness, despite their outcry, your commission did not do anything,,
You did not address the collusion between the DISCO’s field workers/engineers that collects money from petrol stations to turn off lights in the area, so that people will need to buy petrol to run generators.
You did not see that but quick to put up all these counter productive laws or penalties. You better go back to your drawing board and think of how you can make the DISCOs and the GENCOs more productive and of good services delivery to meet global standards.
What is the penalty for 1. estimated billing, 2. payment for meter that you will never see, 3. Constant blackout, 4.discremination of who uses 33line and 11line in warri, 5.customers buying transformer, poles and wire for USELESS BEDC without them making any refund. ….
I hope not to have any issues with them but the our government should not forget that there is something called HUMAN RIGHTS they should consider this when making and signing certain laws
These are nonsensical laws,what is the penalty for your staffs/ad hoc staffs who move from one compound to another collecting bills from customers without remitting to BEDC in Warri/effurun