In a recent court ruling, the High Court in Lagos mandated that electricity companies in Nigeria provide consumers with three working days’ notice before interrupting their power supply. The case was brought by Lagos lawyer Bolaji Ramos against Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKDP), and was based on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) Customer Service Standards of Performance for Distribution Companies 2007, which were made pursuant to the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (No.6 of 2005).
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Ramos argued that the NERC regulations obligated DisCos to provide customers with a minimum of three working days’ notice before causing any planned power supply interruption and that any interruption without such notice was illegal and in violation of the regulations. He further sought a court order making it a legal duty for DisCos to always give customers three working days’ notice before interrupting their power supply, in accordance with the NERC regulations.
The court ultimately agreed with Ramos, declaring that DisCos have a legal duty to always give their customers a minimum of three working days’ notice before interrupting their power supply and that any interruption without such notice is illegal and in violation of NERC’s regulations. The ruling serves as an important victory for Nigerian electricity consumers, who have long suffered from the erratic power supply and poor service from DisCos.
The Nigerian power sector has long been plagued by numerous challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, poor maintenance, and corruption. These issues have resulted in frequent power outages, low electricity generation capacity, and high tariffs, which have placed a significant burden on households and businesses across the country
