The Federal Government has installed 668,000 electricity meters under the first phase of the $500 million World Bank-backed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme, as authorities move to fine-tune the implementation of the Electricity Act and address gaps in the power sector.
Electricity transmission infrastructure
Federal Government has deployed and installed 668,000 electricity meters under Phase 1 of the $500 million World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP). This is because the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) has directed key stakeholders to work on amendments to fine-tune the implementation of the Electricity Act.
The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, disclosed this after the second meeting of the NCP for 2026, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Gbeleyi said 668,000 meters had been installed on customers’ premises out of the 1,033,000 meters delivered under Phase 1 of DISREP.
The metering rollout is part of the Federal Government’s efforts, alongside initiatives such as the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), to close the electricity metering gap and eliminate arbitrary estimated billing for registered customers nationwide.
Beyond the metering intervention, the NCP reviewed the implementation of the Electricity Act, particularly the transition of electricity regulatory responsibilities from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to State Electricity Regulatory Commissions.
Gbeleyi said about 17 states had established their own State Electricity Regulatory Commissions since April 2024, following the devolution of electricity regulation under the Act.
He added that Akwa Ibom State had also established its own Electricity Regulatory Commission in July, but noted that further adjustments were needed to address issues arising from implementation.
The directive places the implementation of the Electricity Act under fresh review as more states establish regulatory institutions to exercise powers over electricity markets within their jurisdictions.
The developments also come as the Federal Government seeks to improve value delivery in the electricity sector, with the Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, assuring that the NCP was working to ensure Nigerians benefit from ongoing reforms.
“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,” the minister stated.
Tegbe said the meeting also had in attendance the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Attorney General represented by the Solicitor General, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and private members of the council.
