Thursday, September 25, 2025 - Jimoh Bello Momoh, Principal Partner at Macmomoh and Company, has called for fair and transparent electricity management in Nigeria’s multi-tenanted estates, stressing that facility managers must balance residents’ needs with the country’s challenging power sector realities.
Speaking with reporters, Momoh said residents in estates and
apartment blocks continue to grapple with unreliable power supply, billing
disputes and shared-cost controversies. He noted that many estates rely on a
bulk metering system under which the distribution company, such as Ikeja
Electric (IKEDC), classifies the entire estate as a single customer.
“We have a Maximum Demand Meter outside the estate gate that
records all the energy coming in. From there, we channel it into the facility.
Each household uses a prepaid meter with tokens bought through a cloud-based
system,” Momoh explained. He added that communal services such as streetlights,
sewage plants and water treatment consume electricity, and every household pays
a fixed monthly fee to cover these costs.
Momoh said the system helps maintain essential services but
issues of trust persist. “Electricity in Nigeria passes through generation,
transmission and distribution. If there is a break at any point, the estate
suffers,” he said. According to him, management teams keep in close contact
with distribution companies to get updates on planned maintenance or sudden
grid failures.
He recalled a past billing error when the estate was charged
for a larger capacity meter, resulting in inflated bills. “After pressing the
case, it was discovered we needed a smaller meter. Once it was changed, the
bills became more accurate,” he said, noting that energy theft and illegal
connections remain challenges. Regular audits and timely payments from
residents, he added, help maintain stable supply.
Unlike some estates, generators are banned due to noise and
fumes, prompting many residents to invest in solar panels and inverters for
backup power. Prepaid meters have reduced disputes over individual usage,
though questions still arise about contributions to shared facilities.
“Every resident buys their own token. But for communal
facilities, everyone must contribute, otherwise services will stop. The best
way is to educate residents and show them a clear breakdown of costs,” Momoh
said.
He also highlighted efforts to improve efficiency, including
encouraging residents to use LED bulbs and energy-saving appliances, carrying
out energy audits and introducing automation to cut waste and prevent
unnecessary bills. Payments are made through an app or at the management office
to enhance transparency.
Momoh urged regulators to enforce existing rules more
strongly but said estates must also push power companies to comply.
“Electricity is not just about supply from the grid. It is about fairness,
transparency and making sure everyone plays their part,” he said.
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