Despite huge funding by the Federal Government and other stakeholders to bridge the metering gap put at 7.2 million, there are fears that it will take more than a decade and trillions of naira for the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to provide meters to all electricity consumers in the country. Available records show that in 2024 alone the DisCos could only meter about 542,738 customers. There are even concerns that President Bola Tinubu’s plan to revamp the power sector will be vitiated if the metering challenge is not urgently addressed.
Without bridging the ever widening metering gap, the hope of having adequate electricity supply in the country will be a mirage. The foot-dragging approach of the DisCos towards providing meters to electricity consumers has worsened the problem. In fact, the deliberate unwillingness of the DisCos to bridge the metering gap is largely driven by profits that accrue from estimated or crazy billing. Although the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced late last year the Federal Government’s intention to purchase and distribute about two million pre-paid meters to electricity consumers on estimated billings before the end of the first quarter of 2025, the metering gap is still widening.
The two million meters were the first batch of the 10 million meters earmarked to be distributed across the country in the next five years under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) to end estimated billings by the electricity distribution companies (DisCos). There are also doubts over the success of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) launched in 2020.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), only 6, 288, 624 customers or 46.57 per cent of the total 13, 503, 342 registered electricity consumers were metered as at December 31, 2024. All the DisCos have reportedly been too slow in metering Nigerian consumers willing to pay for meters. Those who have paid and are awaiting the supply of meters by Discos are in millions.
It even takes over a year or more to get a meter after paying the required fees and other needless additions to electricity workers to install the meters. Corruption in the metering process must be quickly addressed. The DisCos are smiling to the banks over free money from estimated billings and are no longer willing to quicken the pace of bridging the metering gap. The Federal Government and the NERC must wield the big stick to make DisCos do the needful. Bridging the 7.2 million metering gap cannot take eternity to fulfill. It is not even rocket science.
If there is enough political will on the part of the government and NERC, bridging the metering gap can be done within five years. If local manufacturers of electricity meters are not producing enough to meet the challenge, government can import more meters to end the impunity and corruption represented by estimated billing. Let all the interventions aimed at bridging the metering gap be streamlined so that they can work in concert to fulfill their dreams.
Those sabotaging the metering initiatives should be fished out and sanctioned. We call on the minister of power to take the metering challenge as a task that must be done in the life of the Tinubu administration. If it requires declaring emergency on the power sector, let it be done forthwith. Bridging the metering gap will curb energy poverty and power wastage. It will also end the corrupt regime of estimated billing by the DisCos. The DisCos should indeed wake up from their deep slumber and put pragmatic measures in place to bridge the metering gap. The gap should not be allowed to widen.
Apart from bridging the metering gap, the generation and supply of electricity must be addressed too. With our electricity generation, which hovers between 4,000MW and 5,000MW, there is no way the electricity needs of over 200million could be met. Nigeria should emulate South Africa which currently generates about 40,000MW and move beyond the 6,000MW target and aim at generating between 10,000MW and 15,000MW in the next 10 years.
Unfortunately, about 92 million Nigerians do not have access to electricity. The Federal Government should invest more money in the power sector. We cannot attain the much-touted industrial development without adequate supply of electricity.