FG Says 60% of Active Electricity Customers Now Metered
The Federal Government has disclosed that about 60 per cent of active electricity customers in Nigeria have now been provided with prepaid meters as part of ongoing efforts to close the country’s metering gap and end arbitrary estimated billing.
The disclosure was made following the second 2026 meeting of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, said 668,000 meters had so far been installed out of the 1,033,000 meters delivered under Phase 1 of the $500 million World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP).
According to him, the metering programme, alongside initiatives such as the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), is aimed at ensuring that electricity consumers are accurately billed for the power they consume.
“Out of 1,033,000 meters delivered in the country, we have deployed and installed 668,000 meters on customers’ premises,” Gbeleyi said.
The BPE boss also provided an update on the implementation of the Electricity Act, particularly the transition towards State Electricity Regulatory Commissions.
He disclosed that about 17 states had established their own electricity regulatory commissions since April 2024, with Akwa Ibom State becoming the latest to establish a state commission in July 2026.
Gbeleyi, however, noted that some aspects of the implementation of the Electricity Act require further clarification and harmonisation.
He said the NCP had directed key stakeholders, led by 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 agencies, to work together on proposed amendments aimed at addressing identified gaps in the law.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the government was working collaboratively to ensure Nigerians receive better value from critical sectors of the economy, particularly electricity and telecommunications.
“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 Federal Government intensifies efforts to improve transparency in electricity billing, strengthen the distribution sector and address long-standing challenges affecting consumers across the country.
The government said continued coordination among relevant institutions would be critical to improving electricity services and ensuring that reforms in the power sector translate into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
FG Says 60% of Active Electricity Customers Now Metered