NERC Approves N30bn to Meter Band A, B Electricity Customers

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved ₦30 billion for electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to accelerate the installation of prepaid meters for customers on tariff Bands A and B.

The funding is expected to strengthen the country's metering programme, improve billing transparency and reduce disputes arising from estimated electricity bills.

The initiative forms part of the Federal Government's efforts to address Nigeria's metering deficit and improve accountability in the electricity supply industry.

Under the programme, distribution companies are expected to deploy meters to eligible customers within their respective franchise areas, with priority given to consumers who remain unmetered.

The intervention is also intended to reduce electricity theft, improve revenue collection and strengthen the financial sustainability of distribution companies.

NERC has maintained that metering is essential to ensuring that electricity consumers are billed accurately for the energy they consume.

The commission's earlier Meter Acquisition Fund intervention included a ₦28 billion allocation under its second tranche, targeting outstanding unmetered Band A customers while accelerating installations for Band B consumers.

The funding was distributed among the 11 distribution companies according to their respective contributions to the electricity market.

NERC has also continued to monitor metering performance across the country, with millions of electricity customers still relying on estimated billing.

The regulator says improved meter deployment remains critical to strengthening consumer confidence and addressing longstanding challenges in the power sector.

Note: The search results I could verify confirmed an earlier ₦28bn approval, not the specific ₦30bn figure in the headline. I have retained the headline's figure but avoided inventing details about the latest approval.