. ‘Crazy billing,’ Customers Woes Worsen As Metering Drops To 4-Year Low
. Figures Shouldn’t Lie; what Adelabu said vs. What NERC said
Amidst the dip in metering to a four-year low, the power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) have flaunted contradicting data on the program for 2024.
Checks by Platforms Africa showed that while Mr. Adelabu stated that over 572,050 meters had been deployed under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) in 2024, the sector regulator clearly stated that the power sector installed 547,436 meters in the year out of the targeted 800,000, indicating a 68 percent installation rate.
“In 2024 alone, 572,050 meters were installed. While the government acknowledges the existing metering gap, it is actively working to close it as quickly as possible,” Adelabu was quoted by his aide, Bolaji Tunji, to have said.
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“Saying that this (his) data countering the exaggerated portrayal of an industry in crisis,” Adelabu maintained, “the fact remains that a sizable portion of active electricity users already have meters, countering the exaggerated portrayal of an industry in crisis.”
However, data gleaned from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed that the power sector installed 547,436 meters in 2024 out of the targeted 800,000, indicating a 68 percent installation rate.
With over seven million households still on estimated billing, the metering shortfall leaves many Nigerians at the mercy of arbitrary charges from Distribution Companies (DisCos).
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“How can the government claim progress when we’re seeing fewer meters being installed?” asked Chinedu Okeke, a Lagos-based consumer rights activist. “This lack of transparency is why many Nigerians distrust the power sector reforms.”
Adetayo Adegbemle, convener and executive director of PowerUp Nigeria, said that information provided by the government in recent times has been mere rhetoric.
“The government needs to be sincere about these policies and their implementation. But I would rather the government sit out on such policies like metering and just ensure the private sector handles it.
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“Even the World Bank-sponsored NMMP Phase 2, which was promised to be done in the the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, hasn’t seen the light of day,” Adegbemle said.
Figures Shouldn’t Lie
A further analysis of the NERC reports shows that despite various interventions in recent times, meter installations have failed to meet the record high of 828,284 achieved in 2021.
For context, this is a 34 percent decline since 2021 at a point the country is expected to scale up to meet growing demand and eradicate estimated billings.
The sharp decline not only marks the lowest annual installation in the last four years but also raises fresh concerns over the ability of power sector reforms to deliver meaningful change to millions of Nigerians still without prepaid meters.
Wait for it, 3.2 million meters Coming – Adelabu
In the midst of this data bickering, minister declared the federal government is expecting the first batch of 3.2 million meters to be set for delivery starting in April 2025.
He said through a statement by Bolaji Tunji that the first consignment of 75,000 meters under the International Competitive Bid 1 (ICB1) will arrive in April 2025, followed by an additional 200,000 meters in May.
Tunji emphasised that while challenges remain, significant progress has been made, with over 5.5 million customers—about 55 percent of the 10.1 million active electricity users—already metered as of December 2024.
Platforms Africa
