In a bid to address the significant metering gap in Nigeria’s electricity sector, the Federal Government has announced plans to receive the first batch of 3.2 million electricity meters in April 2025. This initiative is part of the ongoing Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), which is expected to deliver the full set of meters by 2026. Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed the details of the plan, emphasizing the strategic efforts to bridge the gap and improve the country’s electricity distribution.
The first batch will consist of 75,000 meters, followed by an additional 200,000 meters in May 2025. This metering program will include a variety of procurement methods, such as the International Competitive Bid (ICB) and National Competitive Bid (NCB), covering a total of 3.2 million meters by 2026. The project aims to address the issue of unmetered electricity customers, which currently stands at approximately 7.3 million.
Additionally, Adelabu highlighted the N700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), which aims for large-scale procurement and deployment of meters. This initiative has secured funding from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and will be managed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to ensure efficient implementation. The Federal Government’s efforts reflect a financial commitment and a structured plan to resolve the metering issues.
Despite challenges in the past, the Minister assured that progress is being made, with over 5.5 million customers already metered by December 2024. The government has set an ambitious target of 2 million meters to be deployed annually over the next five years. This, along with the ongoing initiatives, will significantly reduce Nigeria’s metering gap and improve service delivery in the power sector by the end of 2025.
Source: Naira metrics