The Federal Government has launched a phased distribution of over one million prepaid meters to Band A electricity customers across the country in a bid to reduce the metering gap and enhance revenue collection in the power sector.
According to sources, the meters have been dispatched to various electricity distribution companies (DisCos), which are expected to distribute them to customers classified as Band A.
These customers are those who enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of power supply daily and are billed at N209.50 per kilowatt-hour after the removal of government subsidies.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had previously disclosed in June that the Ministry had set aside N20 billion for the procurement of meters for unmetered Band A customers.
He said, “We have earmarked N20bn to meter Band A customers who are still on estimated billing. The fund will be used to procure meters for these customers by September.”
Adelabu added that the initiative would play a crucial role in improving the financial health of the sector, which has long been plagued by cash flow problems due to widespread estimated billing and underreporting of power consumption.
The Federal Government aims to procure 3.5 million meters by the end of the year, with 2 million meters sourced directly and the remaining 1.5 million meters being procured with support from the World Bank.
The government anticipates that a significant portion of these meters will be sourced from international vendors, given the limited capacity of local manufacturers.
Recently, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) also approved a supplementary fund of N21 billion to accelerate meter distribution under its Meter Acquisition Fund scheme.
In its official statement, NERC emphasized that the deployment of these meters would significantly reduce commercial and collection losses in the sector, thereby improving service delivery and customer satisfaction.
In line with this development, the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) announced the commencement of meter distribution to its Band A customers, with the company distributing 1,880 prepaid meters.
The meters, which include both single-phase and three-phase models, are being installed at no extra cost to the customers, the company confirmed.
“We are pleased to begin the distribution of prepaid meters to our Band A customers as part of the Meter Acquisition Funds initiative,” said Blessing Tunoh, YEDC’s Communications Officer. “This is part of our efforts to ensure transparent billing and improve the overall customer experience.”
Other distribution companies, including the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), have also confirmed the rollout of meters, though some, like the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), are still awaiting their allocation of meters from the Federal Government.
With the addition of these new meters, the Federal Government is moving closer to addressing the metering gap, which currently stands at over 7 million unmetered customers.
Officials have urged consumers to cooperate with meter installers to facilitate a smooth process.
