Federal Government has intensified efforts to close Nigeria’s estimated seven million electricity meter gap with the deployment of 3.4 million smart meters, taking delivery of 500,000 units in the latest tranche, while warning that electricity distribution company (DisCo) officials and installers found extorting consumers will face prosecution.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, stated this yesterday during an on-site inspection of the newly imported meters at APM Terminals, Apapa, Lagos, noting that the meters were procured under the World Bank–funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) and must be installed free of charge.

He mentioned that the programme had already delivered close to one million meters, with about 150,000 installed across customers nationwide, while a fresh consignment of nearly 500,000 meters had just arrived.

“The main objective of coming here today, really, is to carry out a physical onsite inspection of shipments of smart meters that the Federal Government has imported under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme. This programme is supporting the Federal Government to import a total of about 3.4 million meters in two batches, the first batch of 1.43 million meters, of which we have received close to about a million meters. Currently, almost 150,000 meters have already been installed across all distribution companies in the four corners of the country,” Adelabu said. He added that the latest delivery marked a major acceleration in the government’s reform drive.

According to the Minister, universal metering is critical to restoring transparency, improving revenue collection, and stabilising the electricity market.

He linked improved liquidity to sector-wide efficiency and broader economic impact, noting that enhanced revenue would enable operators to meet energy costs, improve operations, and deliver a reliable power supply.

“When you have improved liquidity in the sector, the sectoral revenue will be able to pay a higher percentage of the energy cost in the industry, which will eventually lead to improvement in efficiency, improvement in effectiveness of operations, and we will be able to achieve the much awaited stability, reliability and functionality of electric supply… which will aid and accelerate our economic growth and industrial development,” he said.

Adelabu described the scale of the metering programme as unprecedented. A central plank of the initiative, according to the minister, stressed, is that the meters are to be distributed and installed free of charge. “These meters are to be installed and distributed to consumers free of charge, free of charge! Nobody should collect money from any consumer. It is an illegality. It is an offence for the officials of distribution companies across Nigeria to request a dime before installation.”