Lagos, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- THE Federal Government has announced plans to train 5,000 young Nigerians, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as electricity meter installers and technicians to support the nationwide rollout of electricity meters and create jobs in the power sector.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed the initiative in a post on his official X account, describing it as part of his administration’s efforts to close Nigeria’s metering gap while expanding employment opportunities for young people.
The programme will be implemented under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) through The Power Force, a skills development programme designed to equip participants with the technical expertise needed to install and maintain electricity meters across the country.
According to the President, the initiative is open to Nigerians who have completed secondary school, with a dedicated quota reserved for NYSC members.
“The opportunity will be open to eligible Nigerians who have completed their secondary school education, with a dedicated quota reserved for members of the National Youth Service Corps,” Tinubu said.
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He said the programme would provide participants with practical skills while linking them to employment opportunities in the electricity value chain.
The initiative comes less than two weeks after the Federal Government reaffirmed plans to deploy seven million electricity meters nationwide to eliminate estimated billing, improve billing transparency and strengthen the financial viability of Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies.
Tinubu noted that expanding access to prepaid meters would ensure consumers are billed only for electricity actually consumed, while improving revenue collection and creating room for greater investment in power infrastructure.
The latest announcement builds on the government’s broader metering drive, although previous rollout targets have faced implementation challenges.
In June 2025, the Federal Government announced plans to install seven million smart meters nationwide. However, progress has been slowed by procurement and legal disputes.
A major setback emerged in April when the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) obtained a court injunction halting the opening of bids for the international procurement of 1.55 million smart meters under the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), a $500 million World Bank-backed electricity sector reform programme. The litigation has raised concerns over further delays to the country’s metering expansion.
Despite those challenges, Nigeria has continued to make gradual progress in reducing its metering deficit.
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Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) show that the country ended 2025 with 6.97 million metered electricity customers, representing a national metering rate of 57.27 per cent. More than 109,000 customers received meters in December alone.
However, approximately 5.19 million active electricity customers were still on estimated billing at the end of the year, highlighting the scale of the country’s metering challenge.
Analysts say training an additional 5,000-meter installers and technicians could help address one of the key constraints to faster meter deployment by expanding the skilled workforce needed to support the government’s ambitious rollout programme while creating employment opportunities for thousands of young Nigerians.
