Federal Government Bans Meter Charges, Warns DisCos and Installers of Prosecution
- brilliantachievers0
- Jan 25
- 2 min read
The Federal Government has directed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and meter installers to provide smart meters to consumers free of charge, warning that officials found demanding payments will face prosecution.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, issued the directive on Thursday during an inspection of newly imported smart meters at APM Terminals, Apapa, Lagos. The meters, procured under the World Bank–funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), are intended to improve billing and collections across the power sector.
Adelabu said, “I want to mention that it is unprecedented that these meters are to be installed and distributed to consumers free of charge—free of charge! Nobody should collect money from any consumer. It is an illegality. It is an offence for the officials of distribution companies across Nigeria to request a dime before installation; even the indirect installers cannot ask consumers for a dime. It has to be installed free of charge so that billings and collections will improve for the sector.”
He explained that the programme aims to import a total of about 3.4 million meters in two batches. “The first batch is 1.43 million meters, out of which we have received close to about a million meters. Currently, almost 150,000 meters have already been installed across all distribution companies in the country. And what we have today is close to 500,000 meters that we just received. They are all smart meters, and I believe that the journey of completely eliminating the meter gap in the Nigerian power sector has just begun,” Adelabu said.
He added that full metering would enhance transparency in billings, increase consumers’ readiness to pay, and improve liquidity in the sector. “We said it is free. We are not saying this behind closed doors. We are telling Nigerians that the distribution and installation of these meters in every location is free of charge, and it is declared an offence—an illegality—for any DisCo official or installer to request money from the beneficiaries of these meters. We will track and monitor this installation. We also await tip-offs,” he said.
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