Users of prepaid meters in the country have been told to upgrade their prepaid meters to avoid being blocked.
OsunDailyNG reports that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Tuesday took to the micro-blogging platform, X, formerly Twitter to make the announcement.
According to the electricity regulator, the process is free and does not affect the current unit charges loaded by users.
NERC advised prepaid meter users to key into the upgrade before November 2024, or they would be barred from loading their units.
The commission said, “If you have a prepaid meter, it may be time for an update. From November 2024, you may not be able to recharge your meter. However, updating is easy and free. DisCos shall commence issuance of two free Key Change Tokens (KCTs), which will update your meter.
“The update will not affect the units in your meter, nor will it make your meter run faster than usual. Contact your DisCo for more information.”
However, an official of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the development, saying it’s a simple process, users can do by themselves.
The official who pleaded anonymity told OsunDailyNG that Ikeja Electric would send out messages to that effect starting next month, and there was no need to panic.
He explained that the upgrade was not for any increase in tariffs, but it was a global practice, and it helps keep up with global best practices.
The source said the upgrade was for STS meters (meters with keypads on them).
Explaining further, he said when users buy a token, two additional tokens will be given to them to load with the original token. He said after loading the two additional tokens, users would load the original token for their units, and that’s all.
He also emphasised that there was no need for users to panic as it was a simple and harmless process.
