The Federal Government has outlawed the practice of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and meter installers demanding payment from consumers for the installation of electricity meters, declaring any violation a criminal offence punishable by prosecution.
The sweeping directive was issued on Thursday by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during an inspection tour of a new consignment of imported smart meters at APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos. The meters form part of the World Bank–funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), aimed at bridging Nigeria’s massive metering gap and ensuring transparent, accurate billing.
Truth Live News learnt that Adelabu stressed that every meter supplied under the DISREP initiative must be installed completely free of charge, regardless of the customer category.
“All meters provided through this programme must be installed free of charge for every category of customer,” the minister declared. “It is a criminal offence for any DisCo staff or installer to demand payment from consumers before installing the meters.”
The announcement comes amid long-standing complaints from electricity consumers across the country who have been forced to pay exorbitant fees sometimes running into tens of thousands of naira for meter installation, even as many households remain unmetered and subject to estimated billing.
The World Bank-supported DISREP is part of broader efforts to reform Nigeria’s power sector by increasing metering coverage, reducing Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses, and improving service delivery.
Minister Adelabu warned that strict enforcement measures would be put in place to ensure compliance, adding that the government would not tolerate any attempt to frustrate the free-meter rollout.
The inspection highlighted the arrival of thousands of smart meters expected to be deployed nationwide in the coming months, with priority given to unmetered and under-served customers.
