The Federal Government has disclosed that about 60 per cent of active electricity customers across Nigeria have been provided with electricity meters as part of ongoing efforts to close the national metering gap and curb arbitrary estimated billing.
The disclosure followed the second 2026 meeting of the National Council on Privatisation, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. It was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President.
The metering programme is being implemented under Phase 1 of the $500 million World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme, alongside other government interventions, including the Presidential Metering Initiative.
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, said 1,033,000 meters had been delivered under the programme, with 668,000 already installed at customers’ premises.
“On various issues, we provided updates on meter deployment under Phase 1 of the World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme. We have implemented 60 percent 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,” he said.
According to the government, the initiative is designed to reduce the metering deficit and put an end to arbitrary estimated electricity bills for registered customers nationwide.
Gbeleyi also revealed that about 17 states had established State Electricity Regulatory Commissions since April 2024, following the decentralisation framework introduced by the Electricity Act.
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He identified Akwa Ibom as one of the latest states to establish its own electricity regulatory commission, saying the state did so in July. However, he noted that some areas of the law’s implementation still needed to be adjusted.
“Some fine-tuning is required here and there in the implementation of that Act,” Gbeleyi said.
He said the council had instructed relevant government institutions and stakeholders to deliberate on proposed amendments to the Electricity Act.
“Council has directed that stakeholders, led by the Attorney General of the Federation, the Honourable 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,” he said.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the government was pursuing greater efficiency and value for Nigerians across electricity, telecommunications and other critical areas of the economy.
“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,” Tegbe said.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of Power, the Attorney-General of the Federation’s representative, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, as well as private members of the council.