A civil rights organisation, the Save Lagos Group (SLG), has thrown its weight behind the newly passed Electricity Power Reform Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 by the House of Representatives, prohibiting and criminalising estimated billing.

The Bill, which recommends one-year jail term and a fine of one million naira for defaulters, would soon be transmitted to the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly for passage.

In a signed statement by its Convener, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman and copies were made available to newsmen on Monday, SLG commended the initiative and vision of the eight Assembly to reduce the pains and pangs Nigerians were going through as a result of crazy estimated billing.

The group noted that it had earlier written the National Assembly and authorities concerned in the Petition Letter dated Monday, 7th August, 2017, requesting for withdrawal of the operational licences and certificates of the electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.

It alleged that the companies “have been short-changing the good people of the country with the epileptic electricity supply with crazy bill estimation.”

“In view of this, we are calling on the members of the Senate not to waste time before putting in place the machinery in place to pass the Bill for onward transmission to the President for his assent,” SLG said.

According to the Bill, it would compel all electricity distribution companies to give prepaid meters to applicants within 30 days.

If assented to, the Law will bar a distribution company from disconnecting a consumer after the 30-day period within which a meter should be installed.