The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has captured widespread public attention after issuing a strict regulatory directive mandating electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to financially compensate premium "Band A" customers who suffered severe power supply shortfalls.
The issue is trending heavily because NERC's new mandate—Directive No. NERC/2026/002—addresses a massive wave of grid generation constraints experienced across the country between February and March 2026.
During this two-month period, a severe gas supply scarcity alongside targeted infrastructure vandalism prevented DisCos from delivering the contractually guaranteed minimum of 20 hours of daily electricity to premium feeders.
Rather than allowing DisCos to escape accountability or quietly downgrade the affected feeders, the regulator has stepped in to enforce severe financial penalties.
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Under the specific terms of the newly released directive, customers on Band A feeders that dropped below 18 hours of daily power are entitled to a 20% special compensation package based on their February 2026 billing cycles.
For Maximum Demand (MD) commercial users, the 20% calculation applies directly to their average billed energy, while Non-Maximum Demand (Non-MD) residential users get 20% of their approved energy cap.
To ensure the relief is tangible, NERC ordered that prepaid users must receive their payouts as direct token units loaded onto their meters, while postpaid users must receive direct bill adjustments.
With strict deadlines requiring February compensation to wrap up immediately and March adjustments to conclude by June 30, 2026, consumers are actively tracking the news to ensure compliance, especially since NERC has explicitly barred DisCos from using these credits to offset any existing customer debts.
Sources: TheCable, Premium Times, Daily Post, The Guardian Nigeria, Leadership.
#NERC #BandAElectricity #DisCos #ElectricityCompensation #PrepaidToken #PowerSectorNG #ConsumerRights
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