Nigeria’s ongoing prepaid metering initiative has hit a major snag, leaving millions of electricity consumers frustrated and at the mercy of exploitative estimated billing. Despite government promises and funding, access to meters remains elusive forcing customers to keep night vigils in hopes of making payments on erratic online portals.
This setback comes months after the Federal Government announced the arrival of 3.2 million prepaid meters starting from April 2025 under the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) and the ₦700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had assured Nigerians that 75,000 meters would be delivered in April 2025, followed by 200,000 in May. He emphasized that structured financing would close the metering gap faster than anticipated.
However, investigations reveal that customers continue to struggle with dysfunctional portals, many only able to access them briefly at midnight. Users report sleepless nights and unsuccessful attempts to pay for meters.
One customer, Mrs. Joy said:“For two months, I’ve stayed up at night trying to access the portal. It rarely opens, and when it does, it crashes before payment can be made.”
The delay has created opportunities for racketeering within electricity distribution companies (DISCOs). Marketers reportedly exploit the system by calling “preferred” customers when the portal becomes available for a fee.
A customer disclosed paying a DISCO marketer extra money to secure a meter:
“I got a call around 1:00 am to pay quickly, and I did. I got the meter shortly after.”
Another, Adedeji, said he paid more than the official price to bypass delays:
“It’s not about the cost. I was tired of the crazy estimated bills.”These revelations call into question the government’s oversight and the DISCOs’ transparency.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), 187,194 meters were installed in Q1 2025, a marginal 0.41% increase from the previous quarter. As of March 31, only 46.98% of Nigeria’s 13.77 million electricity customers had been metered, leaving a shortfall of 6.47 million.
Despite interventions and various schemes since privatization in 2013, the metering gap has grown due to population growth and rising demand.
Special Adviser to the Minister of Power, Bolaji Tunji, confirmed that over 200,000 meters have been distributed and insisted efforts are underway to meet the target of one million meters by year-end.
“The ₦700 billion fund is active, bidding is ongoing, and Band A customers are already receiving free meters,” Tunji said.
On racketeering, he advised aggrieved customers to file complaints with NERC, which has penalties for such infractions.
Multiple metering programs have failed to close the gap:CAPMI (2013): Allowed upfront payment by customers; struggled with delays and limited refunds.
MAP (2018): Brought in third-party meter providers, but faced technical and financial issues.NMMP (2020): CBN-backed program aimed at 5 million meters; struggled with execution. Other efforts: Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF), Vendor-Financed Frameworks, and Service-Based Tariff (SBT) have all faced hurdle
Experts are calling for a complete overhaul. Prof. Wunmi Iledare urged:“If the problem is funding, allow customers to pay through energy credits. If it’s corruption, NERC must enforce accountability.”
Adetayo Adegbemle, Executive Director of PowerUp Nigeria, added:
“Government intervention has never worked. We need a meter franchising model and investor-friendly policies tied to tariffs. The current system rewards inefficiency.”
As Nigerians continue to suffer under erratic electricity supply and exploitative billing, the government’s ambitious metering plans appear stalled by poor execution, corruption, and lack of transparency. Without structural reform, Nigeria’s metering crisis is set to deepen despite lofty promises and billion-naira budgets.
