Olayiwola Matthew
Federal Government has barred electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and their installers from collecting any form of payment for electricity meters, warning that anyone found extorting customers would face prosecution.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, gave this warning during an on-site inspection of newly imported smart meters at APM Terminals, Apapa, Lagos, which took place on Thursday, stressing that the meters, procured under the World Bank–funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), must be installed for consumers at no cost.
Adelabu, who was received by the Apapa Port Command of the Nigerian Customs Service, expressed satisfaction with the arrival of another 500,000 smart meters, describing the development as a major step toward closing Nigeria’s long-standing metering gap.
“These meters are to be distributed and installed free of charge—completely free. It is illegal and an offence for any DisCo official or installer to request a dime from consumers. Anyone involved in such extortion will be prosecuted,” the minister warned.
Speaking further, the minister revealed that the Federal Government planned to import about 3.4 million meters in two phases, saying that out of the first batch of 1.43 million meters, nearly one million had already arrived, with about 150,000 installed nationwide, even as he noted that the newly received 500,000 meters were all smart meters.
Adelabu, while expressing dissatisfaction with the current pace of metering, said he was optimistic that within a few years, all households, businesses, and institutions would be fully metered, leading to transparent billing, improved collections, and better liquidity in the power sector.
Adelabu assured Nigerians that past challenges associated with meter scarcity and payment requirements would be eliminated, noting that Nigeria currently had over five million customers on estimated billing.
The minister assured that the Tinubu administration was addressing a decades-old challenge with “boldness, courage, and political will,” adding that the programme would be closely monitored end-to-end.
He said meters would be distributed to all customers, regardless of electricity band, stressing that the Band A, B, or C classification was only a temporary measure.
To curb extortion, the minister announced plans to establish customer complaint desks, strengthen monitoring by regulators, and create a register for unmetered customers to accelerate installations, urging Nigerians to report any demand for illegal payments.
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Ayo Gbeleyi, who spoke in support of the initiative, said new guidelines from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) would soon mandate DisCos to grant unhindered access for meter installations, adding that the meters were DisCo-specific, with anti-theft features embedded.
Also speaking, Mojec Chairman, Mojisola Abdul, reiterated that the meters were free and warned consumers not to give money to anyone.
She disclosed plans for mobile registration that would enable meter installation within days of registration.