The Federal Government has hinted that it is expecting to take delivery of the first batch of 3,205,101 meters it ordered last year as part of its sustained initiatives aimed at bridging the nation’s metering gap.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who made this disclosure on Sunday, said 75,000 meters under the International Competitive Bid 1 (ICB1) were expected to be delivered this month while the second batch totalling 200,000 units would be received in May 2025.
The Minister said: “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 percent of the 10,114,060 active electricity customers in Nigeria. In 2024 alone, 572,050 meters were installed.
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“While the government acknowledges the existing metering gap, it is actively working to close it as quickly as possible. However, the fact remains that a sizable portion of active electricity users already have meters, countering the exaggerated portrayal of an industry in crisis”, he added.
Adelabu noted that though the metering gap remained a major concern of the government in its efforts to improve the efficiency of the power sector through sundry reforms, the challenge was being addressed with strong hope that it will ultimately be fully bridged.
He clarified: “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.
“In addition to the DISREP, the N700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) is another key intervention designed to accelerate metering. The initiative, which has already secured N700 billion 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 in an effective and sustainable manner.
“While the metering gap remains a concern, the notion that it will take over a decade to resolve is misleading. 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”, Adelabu stressed.
Available data showed that though the meter installation rates had varied over the years, the sector maintains a yearly average of about 668,000 meters installed.
Similarly, structured financing and government-backed initiatives are expected to accelerate deployment of meters faster than the current pace in the months ahead with a view to ending the estimated billing regime by electricity distribution companies (DisCos) over the past years.
