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

Subsidy removal stabilising Nigeria’s economy despite hardship — Doro

The Federal Government has defended the removal of the fuel subsidy, saying the policy has contributed to greater stability in the Nigerian economy despite the hardship and higher living costs experienced by households.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Doro said the reforms should not be assessed solely by their immediate impact on household finances but within the broader objective of correcting longstanding economic imbalances and creating a stronger foundation for sustainable growth.

According to the minister, the government is working to reduce inflation, improve purchasing power and address the economic difficulties facing Nigerians through a combination of macroeconomic reforms and targeted social interventions.

He also rejected claims that seven million Nigerians had fallen into poverty under the Tinubu administration, arguing that Nigeria’s poverty challenge predates the current government and requires sustained interventions to reverse.

Doro acknowledged the scale of poverty in the country but said meaningful poverty reduction could not be achieved overnight.

He cited China’s decades-long poverty-reduction experience as an example of the sustained effort required to achieve significant results.

“It took China 40 years to achieve the scale they achieved, Nigeria can scale up poverty reduction,” Doro said.

The minister said the government’s responsibility was to ensure that improvements in macroeconomic indicators eventually translate into better conditions for ordinary Nigerians.

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He said the administration was therefore combining economic reforms with social protection programmes, including cash transfers, skills development and other initiatives designed to help vulnerable households move towards economic independence.

Doro disclosed that the Federal Government had distributed more than N600 billion in cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians over the past three years, with the intervention reaching slightly more than 10 million households.

The minister said the government was also strengthening its approach to poverty reduction by tracking beneficiaries and assessing whether interventions were producing lasting improvements in household welfare.

The latest effort includes the Federal Government’s $1 billion Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme, which is designed to provide support to vulnerable Nigerians while helping beneficiaries build more sustainable livelihoods.

One component of the programme, the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP), targets about 7.6 million vulnerable households nationwide.

Under the programme, eligible households are expected to receive a one-off N40,000 digital shock-response payment, with beneficiaries selected from the National Social Register and validated through their National Identification Numbers.

The government says the programme is designed to move beyond emergency assistance by linking vulnerable households to interventions that can improve their economic prospects.

Doro said poverty reduction would require more than cash transfers, stressing the importance of skills acquisition, employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

The minister’s comments come amid continued debate over the consequences of the petrol subsidy removal announced in May 2023.

The policy immediately changed the fuel-pricing system and contributed to significant increases in transportation and living costs. The government has consistently argued that the previous subsidy regime was financially unsustainable and that its removal was necessary to improve public finances and redirect resources towards development.

The administration has also implemented foreign exchange reforms, which initially placed additional pressure on prices and the value of the naira.

Government officials now argue that the combination of subsidy removal and foreign-exchange reforms has helped address structural weaknesses in the economy and created the basis for stronger fiscal management.

Nigeria Revenue Service Chairman Zacch Adedeji recently similarly defended the reforms, saying the government inherited an economy facing significant fiscal and structural challenges, including an unsustainable fuel subsidy regime and distortions in the foreign exchange market.

However, the government’s assessment of economic stability continues to face scrutiny as households contend with food prices, transport costs and reduced purchasing power.

While some economic indicators have improved, many Nigerians continue to feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis created by the rapid adjustment in fuel prices and other reforms.

This has increased pressure on the government to ensure that reported macroeconomic improvements translate into tangible benefits for households.

Doro said the administration recognised those concerns and would continue combining economic reforms with targeted social protection to cushion vulnerable Nigerians.

He maintained that the objective was not simply to provide temporary relief but to create a system capable of helping people escape poverty permanently.

The minister’s position reflects the Federal Government’s broader argument that the short-term pain associated with subsidy removal was necessary to address deeper economic problems and establish a more sustainable economic framework.

The challenge for the administration now is to demonstrate that the claimed gains in economic stability, government revenue and fiscal management can translate into lower inflation, stronger purchasing power, employment opportunities and measurable reductions in poverty.

For Nigerians, the ultimate measure of the reforms will be whether improvements in economic indicators eventually translate into a noticeable improvement in everyday living standards.

Subsidy removal stabilising Nigeria’s economy despite hardship — Doro