The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to roll out about seven million electricity meters nationwide in a major push to eliminate estimated billing and improve transparency in the country’s power sector.
The initiative, which forms part of the broader Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) and ongoing electricity market reforms, is aimed at closing Nigeria’s long-standing metering gap and ensuring that consumers are billed strictly based on actual energy consumption.
According to energy sector officials working alongside the Federal Ministry of Power, the deployment is expected to significantly reduce the reliance on estimated billing, a system that has drawn widespread complaints from electricity consumers across the country.
The programme will be implemented in collaboration with distribution companies and regulatory bodies, including the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), which has consistently pushed for improved metering coverage as part of its consumer protection mandate.
Nigeria’s electricity sector has long faced a significant metering deficit, with millions of households and businesses still lacking prepaid or smart meters. As a result, many customers are billed using estimated consumption methods, a practice often described as inaccurate and contentious.
The new plan to deploy seven million meters is expected to substantially increase national metering coverage, improve billing accuracy, and enhance accountability within the electricity value chain.
Officials say the initiative will help ensure that customers pay only for electricity actually consumed, while also reducing disputes between consumers and distribution companies.
Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) are also expected to benefit from improved revenue collection efficiency, reduced energy theft, and better data for managing supply and demand.
