FG installs 668,000 electricity meters as Nigeria moves to close metering gap

The Federal Government has announced the deployment and installation of 668,000 electricity meters under Phase One of the $500 million World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) as part of efforts to reduce Nigeria’s electricity metering gap and improve billing accuracy for consumers.

The figure represents about 60 per cent of the 1.033 million meters delivered under the first phase of the programme, according to the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi.

Gbeleyi disclosed the development while briefing journalists after the second 2026 meeting of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He said the council reviewed progress on several government interventions in the electricity sector, including the deployment of meters to customers’ premises.

“On various issues, we provided updates on meter deployment under Phase 1 of the World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme. We have implemented 60 per cent of the meters that have been delivered in the country out of 1,033,000. So far, we have deployed and installed 668,000 meters on customers’ premises,” Gbeleyi said.

The latest installations are expected to give more electricity consumers access to meters that record actual consumption, helping to reduce disputes over estimated electricity bills.

Estimated billing has remained a major source of complaints among electricity consumers, particularly where customers believe bills issued by distribution companies do not accurately reflect the electricity supplied or consumed.

The Federal Government is implementing DISREP alongside other interventions, including the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), to accelerate meter deployment and progressively reduce the number of unmetered electricity customers.

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The World Bank-backed DISREP is part of wider efforts to improve the financial and operational performance of Nigeria’s electricity distribution sector. The programme also supports investments intended to strengthen distribution infrastructure and improve the ability of distribution companies to provide reliable services.

Government officials have previously indicated that DISREP could facilitate the delivery of more than 3.2 million meters, while the Presidential Metering Initiative is expected to provide additional meters as part of the government’s broader effort to address the national metering deficit.

The push is significant because millions of electricity customers have historically relied on estimated billing due to the shortage of meters.

Increasing metering coverage is expected to improve transparency between electricity distribution companies and consumers, as customers can monitor their consumption and receive bills based on recorded usage.

However, meter installation alone does not resolve all the challenges confronting Nigeria’s electricity sector. Distribution infrastructure, electricity supply, collection efficiency and the financial health of distribution companies remain important issues affecting service delivery.

Gbeleyi also disclosed that the NCP reviewed developments arising from the implementation of the Electricity Act 2023, particularly the growing role of states in regulating electricity markets within their jurisdictions.

According to him, about 17 states had established State Electricity Regulatory Commissions since April 2024, as states increasingly assume responsibility for regulating intrastate electricity markets.

He identified Akwa Ibom State as the latest state to establish its own electricity regulatory commission in July 2026.

The development followed the constitutional and legislative changes introduced by the Electricity Act, which allows states to establish electricity markets and regulatory structures within their territories, subject to the provisions of the law.

Gbeleyi said, however, that the implementation of the Electricity Act had exposed areas requiring further clarification and coordination among government institutions.

“Some fine-tuning is required here and there in the implementation of that Act,” he said.

The NCP subsequently directed the Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Power, Special Adviser to the President on Power, Special Adviser to the President on Oil and Gas, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), BPE and other relevant stakeholders to work together on proposed amendments and other measures to streamline implementation.

Gbeleyi said the stakeholders were expected to engage constructively to harmonise the Federal Government’s position on the changes required to fine-tune the law.

Also speaking after the meeting, Minister of Power Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe said the Federal Government was working collaboratively to ensure Nigerians receive greater value from electricity and other critical sectors of the economy.

“We are working concertedly and in a very collaborative manner to ensure that we give value, either in electricity or in telecoms—whichever area—to make sure that Nigerians benefit from this government,” Tegbe said.

The latest metering figures come as the government continues to pursue reforms aimed at improving electricity billing, distribution and regulation.

For consumers, wider access to meters could provide greater certainty over monthly electricity bills and reduce disputes arising from estimated consumption.

The government will nevertheless need to sustain the pace of deployment to reach the millions of customers who remain without meters.

The NCP meeting, which brought together senior government officials and private members of the council, forms part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to strengthen reforms in the power sector and other critical areas of the economy.

With 668,000 meters already installed under Phase One of DISREP, authorities are expected to continue deploying additional units as they work towards narrowing the metering gap and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on estimated electricity billing.

FG installs 668,000 electricity meters as Nigeria moves to close metering gap

FG Unveils $1bn HOPE-SP Programme Targeting 7.6m Vulnerable Households

The Federal Government has launched a $1 billion social protection programme targeting about 7.6 million vulnerable households across Nigeria, marking a fundamental shift from temporary palliatives to sustainable pathways out of poverty. The initiative, known as the Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme, was unveiled on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja. The event, themed “From Palliatives to Pathways,” underscored the administration’s commitment to ensuring that vulnerable Nigerians do not remain permanently dependent on government assistance but are instead empowered to achieve self-reliance and prosperity. The First Lady described the programme as an important step towards improving the lives of vulnerable individuals, families, and communities across the country, emphasising that the days of ad-hoc, uncoordinated interventions were giving way to a structured, data-driven approach to poverty reduction.

At the heart of the new architecture is the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP) . This $1 billion initiative is designed to move vulnerable households beyond temporary financial assistance towards sustainable economic empowerment. Under the new system, the household — rather than individual government programmes — becomes the centre of social protection policy. Vulnerable households will be identified, their needs assessed, and their progress monitored through what the government describes as a “poverty graduation pathway” . According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, the objective is to “move from programmes to households, and from counting beneficiaries to measuring impact” . He explained that the government was moving away from a fragmented system where ministries, departments, and agencies operated separate social intervention programmes and databases without sufficient coordination. “We have a system where we want to deliberately track poverty,” Doro said, emphasizing that the new approach would focus on monitoring households and measuring their progress rather than simply distributing assistance without assessing its impact.

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A key component of the new social protection framework is the Emergency Cash Transfer Programme, which aims to provide rapid financial support to households affected by economic shocks. Eligible households under the programme are expected to receive a one-off digital shock-response transfer of ₦40,000 . However, beneficiaries must be registered on the National Social Register and validated with their National Identification Numbers (NIN) . The government is working with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to facilitate NIN registration and improve the verification process. This collaboration is expected to ensure that only eligible households receive assistance, reducing the risk of fraud and duplication. The minister disclosed that the Federal Government has already disbursed more than ₦600 billion in cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians over the past three years, reaching slightly over 10 million households . The new initiative builds on this foundation while introducing a more structured and accountable system.

Alongside the HOPE-SP programme, the government unveiled the One-Humanitarian-One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) . This platform provides a coordinated national mechanism for responding to humanitarian emergencies, delivering social protection, and tackling poverty. The system is expected to eliminate duplication among government interventions while maintaining unified national registries through which poor and vulnerable households can be identified, supported, and tracked as they progress towards prosperity. Explaining the rationale behind OHOPRS, Minister Doro said that Nigeria cannot continue with a system where one vulnerable household receives interventions from several institutions while another equally vulnerable household remains unseen. Under the new framework, beneficiaries would not simply receive assistance and disappear from government records. Instead, their progress would be tracked from identification and intervention through economic inclusion and eventual exit from poverty into what the government describes as a growth register . This unified approach is expected to end the practice of different agencies maintaining separate registers and data centres, ensuring that resources are deployed more efficiently and reach those who need them most.

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To strengthen evidence-based decision-making, the minister announced plans to establish a National Poverty Intelligence Lab to provide data and analysis for government interventions . The lab will support the government’s ability to determine not only who is receiving assistance, but whether interventions are producing measurable improvements in the economic circumstances of beneficiaries. Doro explained that existing databases would be integrated into a unified platform anchored on the National Social Register, which currently contains about 20 million households . The success of social protection programmes would no longer be judged by the quantity of food, cash, or other materials distributed, but by the number of households protected against economic shocks, economically included, and ultimately lifted out of poverty. The minister stressed that the ultimate objective is not merely to increase the number of interventions but to ensure that assistance produces measurable improvement in people’s lives: “The question must go beyond how many people received assistance. We must know whether the household recovered, whether it became more resilient and whether it is progressing towards self-reliance and prosperity.”

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, emphasised that the success of the programme would require a whole-of-government approach involving federal, state, and local governments, development partners, and other stakeholders . He noted that the Tinubu administration’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030 must be accompanied by deliberate efforts to ensure inclusive growth. The government has stressed that the new social protection architecture is particularly significant against the backdrop of the far-reaching economic reforms being implemented by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of the foreign exchange market . While these reforms have improved investor confidence and strengthened government revenues, attention must also be directed at protecting Nigerians from economic shocks and providing sustainable routes out of poverty. Bagudu noted that economic growth alone would not automatically translate into poverty reduction unless deliberate measures were put in place to ensure that vulnerable populations were not left behind. The new social protection framework, he said, was designed to complement the administration’s broader economic reforms by providing a safety net for those most affected by the transition.

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, speaking at the launch, said the programme could contribute to addressing some of the underlying causes of insecurity in the country . Zulum noted that poverty, illiteracy, and social inequality were among the factors contributing to insurgency and crises, stressing that military action alone could not permanently resolve such challenges. “The kinetic measures alone will never end the insurgency. Addressing the social, economic, and political dimension of the crisis is synchronous to addressing insecurity challenges in Nigeria.” Governor Zulum’s remarks underscored the broader significance of the programme beyond poverty reduction. By addressing the root causes of social unrest and instability, the initiative could contribute to long-term peace and security in conflict-affected regions.

For the 7.6 million households targeted by the programme, the launch represents a potential lifeline. The key features for beneficiaries include a one-off ₦40,000 digital cash transfer for eligible households registered on the National Social Register and validated with NIN; needs-based assessment to determine appropriate interventions tailored to each household’s specific circumstances; tracking and monitoring through the poverty graduation pathway to measure progress over time; and integration into broader economic inclusion programmes where necessary, including skills training, livelihood support, and access to finance. The government has made it clear that the new approach is not about creating permanent dependence on government assistance. Instead, it aims to provide immediate stabilisation assistance while placing households on a pathway to recovery, empowerment, and self-reliance.

While the government has not yet disclosed the full timeline for disbursement under the new emergency cash transfer programme, the launch of the framework marks a significant step towards a more coordinated, responsive, and results-oriented social protection system . The Federal Government has emphasised that the new architecture will be supported by unified data systems integrating existing databases into a single platform; digital delivery infrastructure for efficient and transparent cash transfers; new financing arrangements to sustain the programme; and real-time poverty intelligence through the National Poverty Intelligence Lab. The minister expressed confidence that the new framework would enable the government to respond more effectively to economic shocks, natural disasters, and other emergencies while building the resilience of vulnerable households.

FG Unveils $1bn HOPE-SP Programme Targeting 7.6m Vulnerable Households