The Federal Government has imposed a nationwide ban on electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and meter installers from collecting any payment from consumers for the installation of electricity meters, warning that offenders will face prosecution.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, issued the directive on Thursday during an inspection of a new consignment of imported smart meters at APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos.
The meters were procured under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), aimed at closing Nigeria’s metering gap and improving transparency in electricity billing.
Adelabu stressed that all meters supplied under the programme must be installed free of charge, regardless of customer category.
“It is an offence for any DisCo official or installer to request a dime from consumers before installation. These meters must be distributed and installed completely free of charge,” he said.
He disclosed that about 500,000 new smart meters had arrived, adding to previous deliveries under the initiative.
The programme targets the procurement of 3.4 million meters in two phases.
Of the first batch of 1.43 million meters, nearly one million have been delivered to Nigeria, with about 150,000 already installed nationwide.
While expressing concern over the slow pace of installation, the minister said the initiative remains the largest meter deployment programme in Nigeria’s history and expressed optimism that all households and businesses would be fully metered in the coming years.
He announced the creation of monitoring mechanisms, including a customer complaint desk, to enable Nigerians report extortion attempts by DisCo officials or installers.
He said confirmed offenders would face public prosecution in collaboration with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and state regulators.
Adelabu also said steps are being taken to address installation delays through improved data on unmetered customers, registration platforms for priority listing, and new NERC protocols to ensure unhindered access for deployment teams.
Speaking at the event, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Ayo Gbeleyi, said the meters are customised for specific DisCos and equipped with anti-theft features that prevent their use outside designated networks.
He added that the rollout is being monitored through digital dashboards to ensure transparency.
Also speaking, Chairman of Mojec, Mrs Mojisola Abdul, confirmed that nearly 150,000 meters had been installed free of charge and urged consumers not to pay any installer.
She announced a mobile registration system to accelerate installations.
Adelabu acknowledged public scepticism caused by past metering challenges but said the scale of the current initiative and the free-installation policy mark a major departure from previous efforts.
The minister also visited the National Meter Test Station in Oshodi to observe quality assurance testing by the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency.
With over five million customers still on estimated billing, the programme is expected to address long-standing trust and liquidity challenges in the power sector.
