FG Bans DisCos From Charging For Meter Installation, Warns Of Prosecution
In a move aimed at ending years of estimated billing disputes and consumer exploitation, the Federal Government has outlawed all charges for electricity meter installation across Nigeria.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Thursday directed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and meter installers to stop collecting any form of payment from consumers for meter installation, warning that violators will be prosecuted.
The directive was issued during an inspection of a new consignment of smart meters at APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos, procured under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP).
Adelabu said all meters supplied under the programme must be installed completely free of charge, stressing that it is a criminal offence for any DisCo official or installer to demand money from customers.
About 500,000 new smart meters have arrived, adding to earlier deliveries under the initiative, which targets the deployment of 3.4 million meters nationwide in two phases.
Nearly one million meters from the first batch have already been delivered, with about 150,000 installed so far.
While expressing concern over the pace of installation, the minister said monitoring mechanisms, including a customer complaint desk, have been introduced to enable Nigerians report extortion attempts.
Offenders, he said, will face public prosecution in collaboration with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and state regulators.
Officials also confirmed that the meters are customised for specific DisCos, fitted with anti-theft features and tracked through digital dashboards to ensure transparency.
With over five million customers still on estimated billing, the programme is expected to ease consumer frustration and strengthen trust in Nigeria’s power sector.
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