Meter
Iyunade Grace
The Federal Government of Nigeria has made it clear that electricity meters are not for sale, and distribution companies (DisCos) are banned from charging consumers for meter installation. This directive was issued by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during an inspection of newly imported smart meters in Lagos.
The government has imported about 500,000 smart meters under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), aiming to close Nigeria’s metering gap and improve transparency in electricity billing. These meters will be distributed and installed free of charge to consumers, regardless of their service band or category.
Adelabu emphasized that it’s an offence for DisCo officials or installers to request payment from consumers before installation, warning that violators will face prosecution. The government has set up monitoring mechanisms, including a customer complaint desk, to report extortion attempts .
The DISREP initiative targets the procurement of 3.4 million meters in two phases, with nearly one million meters already delivered to Nigeria. About 150,000 meters have been installed nationwide, and the government is working to address installation delays .
To curb abuse, the government plans to track installations closely and introduce complaint channels for consumers to report illegal payments. Regulatory bodies will oversee compliance, and confirmed cases of extortion will be publicly prosecute.
The free metering initiative is expected to improve transparency in electricity billing, boost consumer confidence, and support ongoing reforms in the power sector. It will also benefit micro, small, and medium enterprises that rely heavily on electricity for daily operations
The Federal Government is also exploring options to liberalize the metering market, allowing consumers to purchase meters directly from approved vendors. This aims to expedite the meter acquisition process and provide consumers with greater autonomy.
