The total revenue collected by eleven DisCos from customers in the first quarter of 2019 stood at ₦116.9billion out of the total billing of ₦182.8billion.
Despite the increase in the amount of energy received by DisCos and a higher billing efficiency recorded relative to the preceding quarter, there is a 0.5% decrease in the total revenue collected by DisCos in the first quarter of 2019 when compared to ₦117.5billion collected in the last quarter of 2018.
This is contained in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) First Quarter 2019 report obtained from the Commission’s website on Thursday.
According to the report: “The overall collection efficiency for all DisCos decreased to 64% in the first quarter of 2019 representing a 4 percentage point decrease from the 68% collection efficiency recorded in 2018/Q4.
“The collection efficiency implies that for every ₦10 worth of energy billed to customers by DisCos in the first quarter, ₦4.0 remained unrecovered from customers as and when due.”
In appraising individual performances of the Discos, the commission said that Ikeja DisCo had the highest collection efficiency of 84% followed by Eko DisCo with 80.3%.
It also noted that on the contrary, Kaduna DisCo has the lowest collection efficiency of 39.6%.
Ikeja and Kaduna DisCos retained the same ranking during the fourth quarter of 2018.
On a quarter-on quarter basis, Eko DisCo recorded the highest improvement in collection efficiency moving from 70.1% to 80.3% (i.e., 10.2 percentage point increase).
According to the report, “a major factor contributing to low collection efficiency is customers’ dissatisfaction with estimated billing which often resulted in an unwillingness to pay, the Commission, during the quarter, continued to monitor the procurement of meter asset providers by DisCos in line with the guidelines provided in the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) Regulations. The MAP Regulation was issued by the Commission.”
On market remittance, the report disclosed that the liquidity challenge in the electricity industry has continued to manifest during the first quarter of 2019.
NERC added that this is evidenced in the DisCos, special and international customers’ level of remittances to NBET and MO, as compared with the invoices received for energy purchased from NBET and those received for administrative services from MO.
