Not less than 130,209 meters were installed by electricity distribution companies under the Meter Acquisition Fund framework, even as the Federal Government invested N49bn in the MAF between 2024 and 2025.
Reports and documents from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission showed that the Federal Government made efforts to address the persistent challenge of distribution companies struggling to secure essential debt or equity financing for capital investments, particularly in end-use meters.
The MAF scheme, a critical intervention by the commission, was established to bolster the creditworthiness of DisCos. By creating a reliable revenue stream from market funds, the framework aims to provide a foundation upon which utilities can secure long-term financing for meter deployment.
The management of these funds is entrusted to a designated fund manager, operating under terms negotiated by the DisCos and approved by NERC.
Since 2024, the commission has announced the disbursement of free prepaid meters to Band A customers under Tranche A of the MAF scheme.
In 2024, NERC approved N21bn for DisCos to meter customers, while N28bn was disbursed in 2025 under the second tranche of the scheme.
According to NERC data, while installations in 2024 were relatively modest, totalling 5,068 meters across a few DisCos, 2025 saw a dramatic increase.
The first quarter of 2025 recorded 36,903 installations, followed by a peak in the second quarter with 65,315 meters deployed. The third quarter saw a sharp decline to just 175 installations nationwide before a rebound in the fourth quarter with 22,748 meters installed.
Leading the charge in meter deployment is Ikeja DisCo, which has installed a total of 31,331 meters since 2024. Its performance in Q2 2025 was 21,004 installations.
Enugu DisCo installed 14,822 meters, with a significant portion in Q4 2025, while Eko DisCo deployed 14,501 meters in Q2 2025. Ibadan DisCo recorded 12,556 installations. Port Harcourt DisCo installed 11,445 meters. Abuja DisCo contributed 11,375 meters, with a notable increase in Q4 2025.
DisCos such as Benin, Jos, and Kano also reported significant numbers, while Yola and Kaduna recorded lower installation figures within the reporting period.
The MAF framework, alongside the Federal Government’s Presidential Metering Initiative, aimed at closing the metering gap within three years using smart metering technologies, represents a concerted effort to improve metering accuracy and revenue collection in Nigeria’s power sector.
The Chairman of NERC, Musiliu Oseni, said recently that meters provided under government-funded initiatives are free at the point of installation, while other options still exist for customers who are unable or unwilling to wait.
Oseni made the clarification on Saturday during a radio chat with Adeola Samuel-Ilori on Fresh FM, explaining that meters provided under government-funded initiatives are free at the point of installation, while other options still exist for customers who are unable or unwilling to wait.
The NERC chairman said the commission had introduced multiple initiatives to close Nigeria’s metering gap after discovering that DisCos were struggling to access financing.
“When we evaluated the financing, we realised that based on the difficult situation, the current situation, it would be difficult for them to attract financing. Banks will look at their books before they can lend them money. That was why we said, ‘Okay, let’s come up with some of these initiatives,” he said.
He added that customers who previously paid upfront for meters under approved arrangements were entitled to refunds. “If you pay for your meter upfront, you are meant to get refunded. But if you get the free meter, you are not to be paid anything; you are meant to pay for the cost of the meter given to you through the tariffs,” he disclosed.
In October 2025, NERC said it approved the disbursement of N28bn to electricity distribution companies for the second phase of the Meter Acquisition Fund scheme for the metering of all outstanding Band A customers free of charge.
In the order, the commission said the latest tranche would focus on metering all outstanding unmetered Band A customers while expediting the closure of the metering gap for customers currently classified under tariff Band B.
“The commission has further approved the deployment of the sum of NGN28,000,000,000 for Tranche B of the MAF Scheme. These funds shall be allocated in proportion to the respective contributions of the DisCos and are intended to meter all outstanding unmetered Band A customers while also expediting the closure of the metering gap for customers currently classified under Tariff Band B,” it explained.
According to the order issued in October, all meters to be procured and installed under the MAF framework shall be provided at no cost to customers. It explained that Tranche B builds on the first N21bn tranche, which ended on June 30, 2025, under which the commission approved meter purchases from funds accrued through the national electricity market.
“As of the April 2024 market settlement cycle, the sum of N21.86bn had accrued and was made available for the procurement of meters under the first tranche of the MAF scheme,” the commission recalled.
NERC warned in October that distribution companies would be penalised if installation delays arise from their own failures, such as not providing network clearance or accurate customer information.
It gave DisCos until the end of 2025 to complete all installations funded under Tranche B. “The installation of meters shall be completed by 31 December 2025,” the order declared.
However, findings have shown that many Band A customers are still under the estimated billing scheme as of the first quarter of 2026 due to meter importation challenges and a lack of sufficient installers in the sector.
Meanwhile, NERC revealed that 508,101 customers bought their meters in 2024, while 650,187 customers paid for meters in 2025, making a total of 1,158,288 meters installed through customers’ funding in the two years.
More than five million electricity customers across Nigeria remain on estimated billing, as metering coverage stood at 57.27 per cent as of December 2025.
The commission stated in its fourth-quarter 2025 report that, “As of 31 December 2025, 6,966,584 out of the 12,163,412 active registered electricity customers across the 11 DisCos were metered.”
The data implies that about 5.2 million customers were still without meters at the end of the period.
