The Federal Government has prohibited electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and their installers from collecting any form of payment for the installation of smart meters, warning that officials found extorting customers will face prosecution. The directive was issued by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Thursday during an inspection of newly imported smart meters at APM Terminals, Apapa, Lagos. The meters, procured under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), are to be installed free of charge for all electricity consumers, with any demand for payment considered an offence.
Adelabu, who was received by the Area Controller of the Nigerian Customs Service, Emmanuel Oshoba, highlighted that the meters are intended to improve billing and collections across the power sector. He noted that the Federal Government has imported a total of about 3.4 million meters in two batches, with the first batch comprising 1.43 million meters, nearly a million of which have been received. So far, almost 150,000 meters have been installed nationwide, and the Minister emphasized that the rollout applies to all customers, regardless of their category.