By Firdaus Jibril
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Tunji Bello, has stated that electricity regulators must ensure Nigerians enjoy equal consumer protection regardless of where they live.
Bello spoke on Monday at a stakeholder engagement on consumer protection and regulatory cooperation in Nigeria’s electricity sector, held in Abuja.
He noted that the decentralisation of electricity regulation under the Electricity Act 2023 which empowers states to establish their own regulatory commissions makes inter-agency collaboration essential.
According to him, electricity consumers view the power sector as a single system and expect uniform protection, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.
“When supply is interrupted or a bill appears incorrect, consumers are not concerned about which regulator has jurisdiction. They simply expect protection. Ensuring that our institutions work seamlessly together is our responsibility, not theirs,” he said.
Bello also disclosed that the FCCPC recently halted the planned replacement of obsolete Unistar prepaid meters following concerns that consumers might be forced to pay for new ones.
He explained that the Commission, alongside the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), suspended the exercise pending full compliance with regulatory requirements.
This intervention, he noted, ensured consumers would not bear meter replacement costs, experience power supply interruptions, or be subjected to estimated billing during the transition.
He added that the resolution aligns with NERC’s Order on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-user Customer Meters.
Bello stressed that regulators must prioritize preventing consumer harm over resolving disputes after they occur.
He also urged electricity distribution companies and other operators to comply with regulatory obligations, resolve consumer complaints promptly, and operate transparently to strengthen public confidence in the market.