•Claims members invest N353.7 billion in three years
The Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) has reiterated its call for full enforcement of the ‘Nigeria First Policy’ in the power sector, urging strict compliance by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

This comes amid growing concerns over the continued award of large-scale metering contracts to foreign firms under donor-funded programmes. This is said to undermine the significant investments by local firms.

AMMON disclosed that between 2021 and 2024 alone, local meter manufacturers and Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) invested approximately N353.7 billion, based on current prices for single and three-phase meters.

The amount, the association clarified, was fully financed locally and does not include the 850,000 meters supplied under the CBN-funded National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

The association has called on the Federal Government to ensure full implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria First Policy’, warning that recent foreign meter procurement contracts risk derailing efforts to industrialise the local metering sector.

The association, which represents 40 certified local meter manufacturers and assemblers, said it supports the policy’s objective to prioritise indigenous capacity in public procurement and decried continued reliance on foreign firms, particularly in metering contracts funded by international development partners.

AMMON President, Durosola Omogbenigun, while commending Tinubu’s drive for local content through ‘Nigeria First Policy’ as well as the role played by the Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, and the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Owan Enoh, emphasised the urgent need to translate policy into action.

Omogbenigun noted that despite repeated assurances, contracts awarded to foreign companies by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) under the World Bank’s metering programme have excluded local players and yielded minimal results.

He added that its members have a combined installed yearly capacity of six million meters, with over 250,000 meters ready for immediate deployment.

He stressed that if given fair access to procurement opportunities, the body could significantly reduce Nigeria’s metering gap while stimulating local industry and employment.

Between 2020 and 2024, AMMON members installed 2.6 million MAP meters and 850,000 under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), he said.

The manufacturer also claimed to have injected over N353.7 billion (excluding NMMP funding) into the industry, financed entirely through local resources, while employing 10,000 Nigerians directly and another 30,000 indirectly.

“The contribution made by local meter manufacturers from 2021 to 2024 was achieved at the cost of N353.7 billion at today’s price for single and three-phase meters, excluding CBN funded NMMP project of 850,000. This was entirely financed by LMMAs and MAPs locally,” he stated.

Despite the scale of local investment and installed production capacity exceeding six million meters yearly, he lamented, indigenous firms continue to be sidelined in favour of foreign suppliers – a practice that undermines the national industrialisation agenda, stifles job creation and leads to capital flight.