The Federal Government says about 60 per cent of active electricity consumers across Nigeria have now been provided with meters as efforts continue to reduce estimated billing and improve transparency in the power sector.
The ongoing metering exercise is being carried out under Phase 1 of the $500 million World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), alongside initiatives such as the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).
The government said the broader objective is to close Nigeria’s electricity metering gap and reduce arbitrary estimated bills for registered electricity customers.
The update was presented during the second 2026 meeting of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, provided the council with an update on the metering programme and other activities under its supervision.
“On various issues, we provided updates on meter deployment under Phase 1 of the World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme,” Gbeleyi was quoted as saying. “We have implemented 60 per cent of the meters that have been delivered in the country out of 1,033,000. So far, we have deployed and installed 668,000 meters on customers’ premises.”
Gbeleyi also gave an update on the implementation of the Electricity Act, particularly the transition from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to state-level electricity regulatory commissions.
According to him, about 17 states had established their own electricity regulatory commissions since April 2024.
He noted that Akwa Ibom State became the latest state to establish its own electricity regulatory commission in July 2026, but said some aspects of the transition still required adjustments.
“some fine-tuning is required here and there in the implementation of that Act”.
He added that the council had directed key stakeholders to work together on proposed amendments aimed at clarifying and harmonising the implementation of the Electricity Act.
“Council has directed that stakeholders, led by the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Power, the Special Adviser on Power, the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Oil and Gas, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the BPE and all other critical stakeholders, should engage constructively so as to streamline and harmonise the Federal Government’s position in terms of the required amendments to fine-tune the Electricity Act, and we are engaging in that regard,” he added.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving the value Nigerians receive from electricity and other critical sectors.
“We are working concertedly and in a very collaborative manner to ensure that we give value, either in electricity or in telecoms whichever area to make sure that Nigerians benefit from this government,” said Tegbe.
The NCP meeting was also attended by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Attorney General’s representative, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and other council members.
The latest metering figures indicate continued progress in the Federal Government’s effort to expand access to prepaid meters and gradually move electricity consumers away from reliance on estimated billing.
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