THE President of the Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre (ECPAC), Princewill Okorie, has called for proper customer enumeration as the Federal Government prepares to distribute over three million electricity meters across Nigeria.

Speaking to The ICIR on Friday, Okorie emphasised that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) must ensure a thorough enumeration of electricity consumers to accurately track the progress of the metering initiative.

“The power sector has multifaceted issues. Metering is one of them and needs to be done transparently” he said. “The government needs to do a proper customer enumeration of consumers to determine how much gap we have filled since the commencement of the mass metering programme.”

He added that Nigeria should have clear data indicating how many households have been metered, how many are still unmetered, and the overall metering shortfall.

Okorie also highlighted the need for transparency and accountability in the implementation of the metering programme, noting that the funding comes from a World Bank concessionary loan.

“The metering funds are from the World Bank as a concessionary loan facility that would be repaid. This is why we must be transparent with the funds,” he said.

Recall, the  Federal Government said it is ready to receive the first batch of 3,205,101 meters it had procured to bridge the metering gap in the country.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, confirmed this development in a statement by the Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, on Sunday, April 6.

According to Adelabu, 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.

He noted there have been concerns about metering in the electricity sector, which suggests that the industry is in crisis.

He said the narrative has overlooked the significant progress made in bridging the metering gap in the country.

“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.

“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 per cent of the 10,114,060 active electricity customers in Nigeria. In 2024 alone, 572,050 meters were installed. While the government acknowledges the existing metering gap, it is actively working to close it as quickly as possible,” Adelabu said.

He, however, asserted that a sizeable portion of active electricity users already have meters, as against the narrative of an industry in crisis.

The minister also asserted that the sector maintains a yearly average of about 668,000 meters installed.

He hinted that structured financing and government-backed initiatives are expected to accelerate deployment beyond the current pace, ensuring that the metering gap is addressed efficiently.

“To bridge this gap, the government has put in place key initiatives aimed at significantly improving metering across the country. The Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP) 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). As part of this plan, the first batch of 75,000 meters under ICB1 is expected by April 2025, followed by the second batch of 200,000 meters in May 2025,” he said.

In addition to the DISREP, Adelabu said the N700 billion presidential metering initiative (PMI) is another key intervention designed to accelerate metering, explaining that the initiative, which is from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), is structured to ensure large-scale meter procurement and deployment.

“A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been established to oversee the implementation of the initiative. The government has set a target of deploying two million meters annually for five years, with the tender for the first batch of two million meters expected to be released by the third quarter of 2025.

“These structured interventions provide a clear roadmap for addressing the metering gap effectively and sustainably,” he hinted.

While the metering gap remains a concern, Adelabu argued that the notion that it would take over a decade to resolve was misleading.

He believes that with the ongoing DISREP and PMI initiatives, Nigeria’s metering landscape is set to experience significant improvement before the end of the year.

“The focus should be on the execution of these well-structured plans rather than a blanket critique that overlooks the real progress being made,” the minister added.

About a year ago, the federal government expressed concern about closing the metering gaps, de-risking the power sector, and addressing the financial liquidity challenges facing the power sector.

In March 2024, The ICIR reported that Olu Verheijen, the special adviser on Energy to President Bola Tinubu, gave the assurance during a session at the 2024 edition of CERAWeek by S&P Global held in Houston, the United States, revealing the government was working on several initiatives to decentralise energy transmission.

Note: The reprot was updated to include the part from Princewill Okorie