0
0
The Federal Government has announced a nationwide ban on electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and meter installers from charging consumers for the installation of electricity meters, warning that violators will be prosecuted.
The directive was issued by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during an inspection of a new shipment of imported smart meters at APM Terminals, Apapa, Lagos, on Thursday, January 22.
The meters were procured under the World Bank–funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), an initiative designed to bridge Nigeria’s metering gap and enhance transparency in electricity billing.
Adelabu emphasized that all meters supplied through the programme must be installed at no cost to consumers, regardless of their customer category.
“It is an offence for any DisCo official or installer to demand payment from consumers before installation. These meters are to be distributed and installed completely free of charge,” the minister said.
He revealed that approximately 500,000 new smart meters have arrived in the country, adding to earlier consignments delivered under the initiative.
According to Adelabu, the programme aims to procure a total of 3.4 million meters in two phases. Of the initial batch of 1.43 million meters, nearly one million have already been delivered to Nigeria, with about 150,000 installed across the country.
