The Federal Government has launched a new programme allowing Nigerians to purchase electricity meters upfront and receive refunds through energy credits if they prefer immediate metering instead of waiting for free meters.
The initiative was disclosed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Commissioner for Corporate Services, Mr. Nathan Shatti. He said the arrangement is made possible through ongoing FGN/World Bank/NERC interventions under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme.
Mr. Shatti delivered a paper titled “Metering Challenges in Nigeria and Government Interventions,” where he highlighted steps being taken to close the national metering gap, promote transparent billing, and eliminate estimated billing for electricity consumers.
He explained that under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), the Federal Government provided N700 billion to deliver 2.5 million prepaid meters and distribution transformer meters. He added that a procurement process is ongoing with 42 Local Meter Manufacturers and Assemblers (LMMA) to supply and install 750,000 meters within 15 months. According to him, the PMI also includes plans to train 5,000 meter installers in collaboration with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN).
Mr. Shatti further highlighted the World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), under which 3.2 million meters are planned for deployment. He disclosed that so far, 645,000 meters have been delivered to DisCos, with 117,861 already installed.
He also discussed the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) established by NERC in 2023. Under Tranche A, he said N21 billion was disbursed in May 2025 for 143,929 meters, with 115,141 installed across 11 DisCos. For Tranche B, N25 billion was disbursed in September 2025 for 184,609 meters, with 98,328 installed as of January 2026.
Speaking on the MAP scheme, Mr. Shatti said customers who prefer immediate metering and would not want to wait under the ongoing FGN/World Bank/NERC interventions can purchase meters upfront and receive refunds through energy credits. He revealed that of the N25 billion paid by 2.5 million customers under MAP metering, N20 billion has already been refunded, with 2.1 million customers benefiting from energy credit refunds.
