The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says Eko Distribution Company has refunded N8 million to residents of Victoria Garden City Estate in Lagos.
Dr Sam Amadi, NERC chairman, told newsmen in Abuja on Friday that the money was the excess payment they made in electricity bills.
The NERC chairman said the company refunded the excess charges to the residents to show its concern for consumers of electricity in the country.
?He said that the lack of right policies on how to invest in the power sector in the past led to the decay in the sector over the years.
?Amadi said that as a regulator, NERC was concerned with providing sustainable supply and quantity of service to customers.
He said the company recently signed the Embedded Generation and Independent Electricity Distribution Network Regulations Act to minimise power scarcity.
Embedded Generation firms or individuals produce surplus power that could be distributed to surrounding communities, especially those in remote areas with no National Grid, and collect charges.
He said reforms were introduced so that individual, firms and state governments could invest in generation and distribution of power, adding that Akwa Ibom and? Lagos could now generate power and distribute to their people because they have the capability.
He said that NERC was discussing with two international and regional financial institutions to help investors to comply with the regulations and sensitise Nigeria on embedded generation to increase power capacity.
Amadi also said that the Bulk Trader (risk bearer in the sector who assists investors in their investments) will soon start operation to assist the country in overcoming its constraints in the sector.
He said the commission was now discussing with governors to sensitise their people, especially those at rural areas that are far from the National Grid on the use of renewable energies as alternative forms of power.
The NERC chairman said the commission was bent on ensuring that power producers provide good service for consumers hence the abolition of Meter Maintenance Fee.
?Amadi also said that the government budgeted 2.9 million dollars for the metering of the consumers to ensure efficiency in power generation and money collection.?
He added that to ensure maximum satisfaction for consumers, NERC established zonal centres in Kano,? Kaduna? Calabar, Ekiti? Owerri? and in Lagos state.
Amadi said the measures were taken to ensure that when the new tariff took effect, customers would not have cause to complain.