Regulator Push Drives Rollout of 700,000 Free Electricity Meters

Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) have begun the nationwide rollout of prepaid electricity meters at no cost to customers, with current deployments largely targeting Band A and some Band B consumers.

The exercise follows recent remarks by the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Musiliu Oseni, who disclosed that between 600,000 and 700,000 meters are currently available in the country. Speaking at the 4th NESI Stakeholders Meeting in Abuja, Oseni urged DisCos to accelerate deployment and improve public awareness, noting that the Federal Government has already made significant investments in meter procurement.

NERC’s Commissioner for Corporate Services, Nathan Shatti, also raised concerns over the pace of metering and refund performance under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme. He pointed to low compliance levels in some franchise areas, particularly Abuja and Kano, and stressed that customers should not be billed for meters where installation capacity is lacking. Shatti further disclosed that more than 350,000 meters are yet to be migrated to the new Standard Transfer Specification (STS), calling for immediate data cleanup.

Industry checks confirm that meter distribution is ongoing across several DisCo franchise areas. The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, confirmed that meters are being installed nationwide at no cost to customers. He explained, however, that while the meters were procured through government intervention, DisCos are expected to repay the cost over a 10-year period.

Oduntan clarified that the free meters are separate from the MAP programme, under which customers who previously paid for meters are entitled to refunds, usually credited over time through energy vending. He emphasised the need for better customer education to prevent misunderstandings around billing and refunds.

According to NERC’s latest metering factsheet, Nigeria added 187,765 newly metered customers between September and October 2025, raising the national metering rate from 55.37 per cent to 56.07 per cent. During the period, the number of active electricity customers increased to 12.07 million, while metered customers rose to 6.77 million. Despite the gains, over 5.3 million customers remain on estimated billing.

Ikeja Electric recorded the highest metering rate at 85.59 per cent, followed by Eko Electric (84.75 per cent) and Abuja Electric (75.82 per cent). In contrast, Yola, Jos, Kaduna, and Kano DisCos remained below the 35 per cent mark. Aba Power recorded the most significant improvement, increasing its metering rate by more than eight percentage points in one month.

To further accelerate deployment, NERC approved the disbursement of ₦28 billion in October for the second phase (Tranche B) of the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF). The funds are designated for metering all outstanding unmetered Band A customers and reducing the metering gap among Band B customers, under the Presidential Metering Initiative.

The commission directed DisCos to adhere to strict procurement and installation timelines, with all meters funded under Tranche B to be installed by December 31, 2025. NERC stated that the initiative is aimed at improving service delivery, reducing energy losses, and addressing the long-standing metering deficit, which remains one of the sector’s key challenges.