The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reassured electricity consumers nationwide that prepaid meters supplied under Federal Government programmes are completely free and that no distribution company (DisCo) or installer is permitted to demand payment for them.
Clarifying widespread confusion around electricity metering, NERC Chairman, Musiliu Oseni, explained during a radio interview on Fresh FM that only meters funded directly by government initiatives —particularly the World Bank – supported Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) —are free at the point of installation. Any demand for payment for such meters, he stressed, is illegal.
According to Oseni, DISREP meters are fully financed by the Federal Government and must be installed at zero cost to consumers. Although DisCos will repay the loan used to procure the meters, this repayment is structured through tariffs over time and does not justify upfront charges to customers.
“If you receive a DISREP meter, you are not expected to pay a kobo,” Oseni said, emphasising that DisCos are strictly prohibited from collecting money from consumers for government-funded meters.
He further advised consumers to remain vigilant, noting that DISREP meters are clearly labelled and can be identified by the inscription “DISREP” after the name of the DisCo. Any customer asked to pay for such a meter, he said, should report the incident immediately.
Oseni clarified that consumers only need to make payments under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme, which remains an optional alternative for customers who cannot wait for the rollout of free government meters. Even in such cases, payments must be made directly to approved companies—not individuals.
Importantly, NERC reaffirmed that customers who previously paid upfront for meters under approved arrangements are entitled to refunds, reinforcing consumer protection and accountability within the sector.
The clarification follows a firm directive from the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who recently warned that collecting money for DISREP meters is an offence. He described the free meter rollout as unprecedented and ordered DisCos and installers nationwide to stop demanding any form of payment from consumers, regardless of tariff band.
While some DisCos have raised concerns about cost recovery and financial sustainability, both NERC and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) maintained that consumers are not required to make direct payments for meters. Instead, infrastructure costs are recovered gradually through regulated tariffs, just as with transformers and other network equipment.
With about 5.9 million Nigerians still unmetered, NERC reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to closing the metering gap through DISREP and other initiatives, including a forthcoming presidential metering programme.
For consumers, the message is clear: government-funded meters are free, refunds are your right where applicable, and any demand for payment outside approved schemes is unlawful.
