FG begins free meters purchase, raises power tariff in December

Following plans by the Federal Government to carry out a review of power tariffs, Power consumers nationwide may start to pay more for electricity in December barring unforeseen circumstances.

The Federal Government on Wednesday revealed it had commenced the procurement of four million meters meant to be distributed free of charge to unmetered power users nationwide.

It added that over 860,000 meters were distributed for free to power users under phase zero of the National Mass Metering Programme, putting the number of unmetered electricity consumers in Nigeria at about eight million.

The Deputy General Manager, Consumer Affairs, NERC, Shittu Shuaibu, described the 4 million meters procured as the phase one of the NMMP, which had commenced.

While speaking during a live radio programme monitored in Abuja, Shuaibu said the Meter Asset Providers, working with the distribution companies, had been able to deploy about 860,000 meters under phase zero of the mass metering programme.

He said, “The programme is supposed to run in three phases which include phase zero, phase one and phase two. Phase zero was rounded up around the end of October. Phase one has actually commenced and it is another government intervention of about four million meters.

“So far we have deployed about 860,000 or close to 900,000 meters, which were part of the one million meters that was procured as part of government intervention. For the four million meters, the procurement process has commenced.”

He explained that the mass metering intervention was not free as such because the government was giving out loans for the provision of these meters to Nigerians.

Shuaibu said power distribution companies would be part of the loans and were to refund it over a period of 10 years at a very reasonable rate through the Central Bank of Nigeria.