The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that plans are on top gears by the Federal Government to deliver 2.5 million prepaid meters and distribution transformer meters, to bridge the identified metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
NERC Commissioner for Corporate Services, Mr. Nathan Shatti, disclosed this while delivering a paper titled “Metering Challenges in Nigeria and Government Interventions,” at the three-day seminar for Judicial Officers held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) Complex, Abuja.
The paper focused on ongoing initiatives to close the national metering gap, promote transparent billing, and eliminate estimated billing for electricity consumers.
He disclosed that under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), the Federal Government provided ₦700 billion to deliver 2.5 million prepaid meters and distribution transformer meters.
Adding that a procurement process is ongoing with 42 Local Meter Manufacturers and Assemblers (LMMA) to supply and install 750,000 meters within 15 months.
The PMI also includes plans to train 5,000-meter installers in collaboration with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN).
Mr. Shatti, in a statement on Wednesday by NERC, further highlighted the World Bank–financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), under which 3.2 million meters are planned for deployment. So far, 645,000 meters have been delivered to DisCos, with 117,861 already installed.
He also discussed the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) established by NERC in 2023: Tranche A: ₦21 billion was disbursed in May 2025 for 143,929 meters, with 115,141 installed across 11 DisCos.
Tranche B: ₦25 billion was disbursed in September 2025 for 184,609 meters, with 98,328 installed as of January 2026.
On the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme, Mr. Shatti explained that customers preferring immediate metering and wouldn’t want to wait to get meters through the ongoing FGN/World Bank/NERC interventions, can purchase meters upfront and receive refunds through energy credits.
He revealed that of the ₦25 billion paid by 2.5 million customers under MAP metering, ₦20 billion has already been refunded, with 2.1 million customers benefiting from energy credit refunds.
