Electricity consumers in Nigeria spent over N64.5 billion on prepaid meters in 2024 under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme, even as many continued to suffer from estimated billing due to widespread metering shortfalls.
This is according to the 2024 Annual Report of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), which revealed that 508,103 meters were paid for by customers out of the 572,055 deployed during the year. The average cost of a single-phase meter was N127,000, with prices varying across Distribution Companies (DisCos).
The report underscores growing consumer frustration as DisCos — despite collecting N1.5 trillion from the N2.1 trillion they billed customers in 2024 — still failed to ensure mass metering.
In addition to meter costs, customers often faced extra charges, including N10,000 for application forms and another N10,000 in unofficial “facilitation fees” to expedite installations, further inflating the financial burden on already stretched households.
A breakdown of the data showed that the MAP scheme accounted for 88.82% of total meter installations. Ikeja Electric led the rollout with 131,263 meters, followed by Ibadan with 108,071, and Abuja with 79,069. On the other end, Kano (1,846) and Yola (831) recorded the lowest deployment figures.
The persistent metering gap continues to fuel consumer dissatisfaction, as overbilling and lack of transparency in electricity consumption remain widespread issues despite regulatory oversight.
