Nigeria’s Federal Government is set to receive the first batch of 3, 205, 101 electricity meters procured in a bid to bridge the metering gap in the country.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, said 75,000 meters under the International Competitive Bid 1 (ICB1) is expected by April 2025, followed by the second batch of 200,000 meters in May 2025.
According to Adelabu, the meters are being procured under the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), which aims to deliver 3.2 million meters by 2026 through various procurement models.
“The Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP) which is set to deliver 3,205,101 meters by 2026.
“This will be achieved through different procurement models, including 1,437,501 meters through International Competitive Bid 1 (ICB1), 217,600 meters through National Competitive Bid (NCB), and 1,550,000 meters through International Competitive Bid 2 (ICB2)”, the statement read.
The Minister said that the Nigerian federal government is sustaining efforts, backed by financial commitments, to close the country’s metering gap.
“While challenges persist, the facts tell a more balanced story – one of sustained effort, financial commitment, and structured implementation plans by the Federal Government of Nigeria to close the metering gap”, Tunji said in the statement.
Also, the Minister touted the administration’s achievements in bringing electricity meters to more than 5 million customers.
“Despite claims of stagnation, metering installations have been progressing steadily. As of December 2024, a total of 5,502,460 customers had been metered, representing about 55 percent of the 10,114,060 active electricity customers in Nigeria,” he added.
The government had earlier announced the rollout of seven million prepaid meters, starting in 2025
Many electricity customers in Nigeria do not have electricity meters, leaving them susceptible to unfair estimated billing.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), only 6, 288, 624 customers or 46.57 per cent of the total 13, 503, 342 registered electricity consumers were metered as at December 31, 2024.
However, the gap is being bridged as Nigeria deployed 5 million meters in 2024.
