By Sulyman Gobir
The Federal Government says about 60 per cent of active electricity customers in Nigeria have now been metered as it works to reduce estimated billing and close the country’s metering gap.
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) Director-General, Ayodeji Gbeleyi, disclosed the figure at the second 2026 meeting of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) in Abuja.
The meeting was chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa.
Gbeleyi said electricity companies had installed 668,000 meters out of 1.033 million meters delivered under Phase One of the $500m World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme.
“We have implemented 60 percent of the meters that have been delivered in the country out of 1,033,000,” he said.
The government said the metering programme, alongside the Presidential Metering Initiative, aims to reduce the reliance on estimated bills and ensure customers pay for electricity based on actual consumption.
Gbeleyi also said 17 states had established electricity regulatory commissions since April 2024 under the framework created by the Electricity Act.
He identified Akwa Ibom as one of the latest states to establish a state electricity regulatory commission, doing so in July.
However, he said the implementation of the Electricity Act required further adjustments.
The NCP therefore directed key stakeholders, including the Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Power, Special Adviser to the President on Power, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and BPE, to review proposed amendments to the law.
Gbeleyi promised that the consultations would help harmonise the Federal Government’s position and address areas requiring clarification.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the government is working with relevant institutions to improve services and ensure Nigerians receive greater value from electricity and other critical sectors.
“We are working concertedly and in a very collaborative manner to ensure that we give value, either in electricity or in telecoms,” Tegbe said.
The meeting brought together senior government officials and private-sector representatives to review developments in the power sector and other areas of the economy.
