All energy distribution companies have been instructed by the Federal Government, acting through the Nigerian Energy Regulatory Commission, to make public the refunds they have given to consumers who bought meters under the Meter Asset Providers program.
On Monday, the NERC made this announcement through its social media accounts.
The inaugural conference of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry Stakeholders was organised by the commission in 2025.
Third-party investors can offer and maintain end-use meters as a service under the MAP framework, and consumers who utilise these meters pay metering service fees.
NERC regulation states that “where a customer elects to make upfront payments for meters under these regulations, the cost of the meter shall be refunded through energy credits by the distribution licensee. The reimbursement schedule shall be as approved by the commission, having regard to an evaluation of the financial standing of the distribution licensee.”
However, consumer groups have complained that the Discos have not been consistent in refunding their customers who obtained meters under the MAP scheme.
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The regulator ordered that the reimbursement information be posted on company websites for the sake of openness and to entice clients to participate in the program.
“NERC has directed Discos to publish details of MAP refunds on their websites for transparency. This will demonstrate commitment and consistency to the scheme and encourage customers,“ the commission stated.
The Federal Government says it is working to fix the metering gap, which includes more than seven million unmetered users.
Recently, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen, stated that the government is planning to meter all customers to reduce losses in the sector.
“The government is intervening in the short term by making sure that the registered customers within the Disco have meters because no matter what your tariff is, you need to make sure that you can collect and reduce your collection losses. And so, that’s one of the interventions. You’ve heard about the Presidential Metering Initiative, which looks to consolidate all the different metering initiatives that are funded by different entities.
“And so, we have the ability to know what your consumption is, what you can afford to pay, and make sure that we’re collecting the revenues from that and improving cash flow that way. It’s the first approach to making sure that DisCos have the financial capacity or cash flows that are required to drive investments in reliability and green access,” she stated.
The commission disclosed that it held its first NESI Stakeholders meeting of 2025 at its headquarters to discuss the state of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
Topics discussed included the tariff methodology and impact of the state transition, NESI liquidity, financial evaluation of the market, and the transition to a multi-tier electricity market with regard to the state electricity regulatory commissions, among others.
“The quarterly meeting brings together energy stakeholders to discuss the state of the NESI and address critical issues in the sector,” the commission said.
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