LAGOS,Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Federal Government (FG) has secured 50,000 prepaid electricity meters for installation in military barracks and establishments nationwide.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed this during a sectoral briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Adelabu had previously highlighted the Nigerian Army’s concerns regarding its substantial electricity debt, prompting them to write to the Presidency for assistance in settling the debt and installing meters in their barracks.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had instructed the ministry to investigate the Army’s appeal and utilize a N32 billion metering fund allegedly deposited into the account of a private firm, Ziklagsis, in 2003 for the procurement of three million prepaid meters.
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Adelabu further informed during the briefing that the purchased meters would soon be dispatched to military bases, aiming to alleviate the debts owed to power distribution companies by various government ministries, departments, and agencies.
“Almost 50,000 meters have been procured and deployed to all military formations nationwide to reduce MDA debts and improve sector liquidity,” Adelabu noted.
He added that the Federal Government has recently concluded a bidding process for the acquisition of 1.5 million meters, with funding provided by the World Bank. He anticipated that the contract would be awarded within the next few months.
He mentioned, “We just completed a bidding process for 1.5 million meters financed by the World Bank to reduce sector liquidity and reduce estimated billing. In the next couple of months, this contract will be awarded to the meter providers.”
Adelabu highlighted President Tinubu’s dedication to eliminating the 7 million metering gap, aiming to eradicate estimated billing and minimize overbilling.
He mentioned that the initiative, already started, aims to meter 10 million customers within five years.
Additionally, he outlined a presidential initiative set to deliver 2 million meters annually for the next five years, addressing the over 7 million metering gaps.