₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has set aside N700bn from the federation account for the implementation of the distribution of free electricity meters under the Presidential Metering Initiative, according to the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communications and Media, Bolaji Tunji.

In a chat with The PUNCH on Friday, he noted that the PMI was on course with a target to deliver two million meters yearly.

He revealed that the amount reserved for the project had reached N700bn and procurement had started.

He said, “The Presidential Metering Initiative is still on course. Two million meters every year, delivery of the first batch will start by the first quarter of next year. About N700bn provision has been made, and the money is ready.”

The special adviser further revealed that the government would fulfil its promise to deliver 1.3 million electricity meters out of the 3.2 million meters under the World Bank Distribution Sector Reform Programme initiative this month.

“The DISREP programme will commence this month,” he noted.

However, an analysis of the Federal Account Allocation Committee meeting minutes obtained by our correspondent between April and August showed that the government had saved N420bn from a monthly deduction of N100bn.

The amount deducted from the monthly federation revenue before allocation to the three tiers of government was aimed at bridging the metering gap in the country, which currently stands at 50 per cent.

Recall that N120bn was deducted from April revenue as the first tranche for the PMI, bringing the amount deducted from the federation account for the initiative as of August to N420bn.

In May, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said that the government would provide an initial N75bn as seed capital while the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority pledged to inject N250bn annually for the initiative.

The minister also disclosed that the initiative would leverage debt financing from diverse financial institutions to bolster the PMI’s resources.

The Managing Director of Abuja Distribution Electricity Distribution Company, Mr Victor Ojelabi, recently said that the PMI would unlock about N1tn in revenue currently tied up in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry due to a large number of unmetered customers.

Under the initiative, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission announced the approval of N21bn for the 11 electricity Distribution Companies to provide meters for end-use customers at zero cost.

The Distribution Sector Recovery Programme is a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing the challenges and inefficiencies within Nigeria’s electricity distribution sector.


Recently, the NERC acknowledged that the country’s metering gap remains substantial despite installing 3.03 million meters since privatising the power sector in 2013.

It said 6.15 million out of 13.33 million registered customers had been metered, bringing the metering rate to 46.14 per cent in 2024.

Source: https://punchng.com/FG-deducts-N700bn-from-federation-account-for-free-meter-distribution

Good move hope it will not be diverted

Not enough 😐
They should have made it 2 trillion
Estimated billing is wrong government should be serious

Good idea.

Won't it be diverted ? And what's the distribution model

Until the power sector is fully liberalized, all these "drip feeding" will not have any impact. It is safe to assume that the bulk of these funds will be looted under whatever guise.

Cashout mode activated.

So how do we apply? These people here are telling us to bring 200k for prepaid meter

Everything FG seems to be propaganda, the 40k rice still being talked about almost 6 months after, unserious people .


***Modified**
See screenshot from bedc website. FG always acting like jokers

I just hope everyone gets it's

Will Ipobs ever allow them to be freely distributed in the south east?

This is called "Government Magic"

ALOOTER CONTINUA

Tinubu MMM MONEY MUST BE MADE

This is a big scam. They always budget billions for free meters yet the people still pay for it.

Single phase meter is around N137,000 and 3-phase is N228,000. Prices are on the websites of the distribution companies.

That's the full cost (nothing like subsidy) and it's what applicants/customers are paying.

So, what exactly is this N700bn for?

The same meters that Nigerians will eventually pay double the right price for.


Yahoo country.

Hmm, after everyone embarrassed this now na for tarrif to go higher like Nepa pole

Wat we paid 139k for
Nigeria my country

What do we need free meters for in the first place? Does the government give us free phones?

Why is it difficult for them to fully privatize the sector and get away with this nonesense of subdizing rubbish that will be embezzeled and won't get to us in the first place

How I wish Elrufai was the minister of Power and not Adelabu

vicfajeze:
Will Ipobs ever allow them to be freely distributed in the south east?

Will Skull miners 💀💀 allow this Meter to be Distributed in the South West.. ??

Because they operate in the dark and don't like anything that has to do with light.

In a couple of years, Nigerians will ask Tinubu, 'Where are the free electricity meters that the N700 billion we were told was paid for went?' At that point, it will be discovered that the money has been stolen by Tinubu and his associates. It will be another heist perpetuated by the Tinubu government, following the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal highway of fraud.

Does it mean customers who have registered for meter will get them free? Because right now, you have to spend close to 300k to get a single phase meter through what they call express means. I think we will come close to solving problems bedevelling power sector in Nigeria if the issue of meter allocation/purchase is solved.

happney65:
What do we need free meters for in the first place? Does the government give us free phones?

Why is it difficult for them to fully privatize the sector and get away with this nonesense of subdizing rubbish that will be embezzeled and won't get to us in the first place

How I wish Elrufai was the minister of Power and not Adelabu

Oga don't type rubbish there. Because you can afford to buy the prepaid meter doesn't mean millions of Nigeria can. Even the program that government has launched is highly doubtful people will still get these meters freely because of the dubious nature of this government

We are finished. 700billion from Federal account to be embezzled among themselves. Una wey vote that calamity for that corntree, e no go better for una

Bail is free but it is not in physical term.Electricity providers and police are like Siaseme twins.

See one of the reasons the government cannot be trusted

And we will still pay for it

Some months ago I read that FG borrowed money for purchase of meters but never heard anything again. And now this new story about meter. We hope everything will go through successfully.

So it is free, then while are people being made to pay by discos to acquire these meters ?

A sane state will have open a website for application. If it's done early enough, the M&Es should have time to triangulate those who have registered metres already to avoid houses with multiple meters.

adenigga:
Source: https://punchng.com/FG-deducts-N700bn-from-federation-account-for-free-meter-distribution

Something wey dem go still bill the citizens to pay for...