The Federal Government has announced a nationwide ban on electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and meter installers from collecting payments from consumers for the installation of electricity meters.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, issued the directive during an inspection of newly imported smart meters at APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos, on Thursday, January 22.
The meters were procured under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) (worldbank.org in Bing), designed to close Nigeria’s metering gap and improve transparency in electricity billing.
“It is an offence for any DisCo official or installer to request a dime from consumers before installation. These meters must be distributed and installed completely free of charge,” Adelabu said.
Adelabu disclosed that about 500,000 new smart meters had arrived, adding to earlier deliveries under the initiative.
The programme targets the procurement of 3.4 million meters in two phases. Of the first batch of 1.43 million meters, nearly one million have already been delivered to Nigeria, with about 150,000 installed nationwide.
The minister emphasized that the initiative is critical to addressing estimated billing, which has long been a source of dispute between consumers and DisCos.
Enforcement and Consumer Protection
The government warned that any DisCo or installer found demanding payment from consumers will face prosecution.
Officials say the free installation policy applies to all customer categories, including residential, commercial, and industrial users.
This is expected to strengthen consumer confidence in the electricity sector and ensure fair billing practices across the country.
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