Adebayo Adelabu warns DisCos over free power meter extortion

Pay nothing or report it, because the government says free power meters mean actually free, and anyone shaking customers down is heading for court.

The government draws a hard line

• Alright, the Federal Government flatly told electricity distribution companies and installers to stop charging customers anything for meters.
• Any DisCo staffer or installer fishing for cash is getting prosecuted, not warned.
• This was not a memo leak; it was said out loud, in public.

Where the warning landed

• The message dropped during an on-site check of newly imported smart meters.
• Adebayo Adelabu showed up at APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos.
• He was received by Emmanuel Oshoba at the Apapa Port Command of the Nigerian Customs Service.

Why these meters matter

• The meters came in under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme.
• The instruction was simple, installation must cost consumers zero naira.
• Any money request, direct or sneaky, counts as an offence.

How many meters are on the ground

• Another batch of about 500,000 smart meters just arrived.
• They sit inside a bigger plan to bring in roughly 3.4 million meters in two waves.
• Close to a million meters are already in-country, and nearly 150,000 are already installed nationwide.
• Adelabu sounded happy about the numbers but clearly annoyed by the slow pace.

No band favoritism allowed

• Every electricity customer qualifies, no matter the band.
• Band A, Band B, or Band C was described as a temporary sorting method, not a gate.
• The promise was universal access, not selective generosity.

Why free meters help the sector

• Proper metering means cleaner billing and fewer disputes.
• Consumers tend to pay more willingly when charges feel fair.
• Better payments feed liquidity back into the power sector.

Enforcement is not a vibe; it is policy

• Adelabu said monitoring will follow installations end to end.
• Tip-offs from the public are officially encouraged.
• The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and state regulators are part of the oversight web.
• A customer complaint desk is on the way for reporting extortion.

Fixing the data mess

• Dirty customer records are slowing installations.
• The ministry is working with DisCos to clean addresses and customer lists.
• A register for unmetered customers is planned to speed things up.

What happens if someone demands cash

• Confirmed cases will trigger prosecution.
• Status or rank will not save anyone involved.
• Names will be public, strictly as a warning shot to others.

BPE steps in

• Ayo Gbeleyi said his office coordinates DISREP.
• He also sits on the boards of all 11 electricity distribution companies.
• A new order from NERC is coming into force, DisCos to allow meter installers through without games.

Meters are DisCo-specific

• Each meter is built for a particular DisCo.
• Anti-theft tech is baked in.
• A meter meant for Eko DisCo cannot magically work in Ibadan.

Manufacturers weigh in

• Mojisola Abdul said almost 150,000 meters are already installed for free.
• She warned consumers not to hand money to anyone.
• A mobile registration push aims to install meters within three days of signup.

Addressing public skepticism

• Adelabu admitted that past experiences made people doubtful.
• Earlier shortages and paid installations poisoned trust.
• He said volume is no longer an issue, and free installation is non-negotiable.
• Officials spent hours mapping out fixes to old bottlenecks.

Quality control and the bigger picture

• Adelabu also checked the National Meter Test Station in Oshodi.
• Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency tests meters before deployment.
• Nigeria still has over five million customers stuck on estimated billing, and this plan is meant to finally kill that practice.