The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has instructed all electricity distribution companies (Discos) to publicly disclose the refunds they have made to customers who purchased meters under the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) scheme.
NERC made this announcement on its official social media channels on Monday, emphasizing the need for transparency. The directive follows the first Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Stakeholders meeting of 2025, which was held by the commission.
The MAP framework allows third-party investors to provide and maintain end-use meters, with customers paying for metering services. NERC regulations stipulate that when a customer pays upfront for meters under the MAP scheme, the distribution licensee is required to refund the cost through energy credits, according to a schedule approved by the commission. However, consumer groups have raised concerns about Discos’ inconsistent refund practices, with many customers complaining about delays or a lack of refunds.
To address these issues and encourage more customers to participate in the metering scheme, NERC has directed Discos to publish the refund details on their websites for public access. This move is intended to promote transparency, enhance consistency, and demonstrate the companies’ commitment to the scheme.
“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 has acknowledged the existence of a significant metering gap, with over seven million unmetered customers. Efforts are underway to close this gap, and recently, Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, revealed that the government is working to ensure all customers are metered. This, she explained, is a crucial step to reducing sector losses.
“The government is intervening in the short term by ensuring that all registered customers within the Discos have meters. We need to ensure that we can collect revenues and reduce collection losses. This is one of the initiatives under the Presidential Metering Scheme, which consolidates different metering projects funded by various entities,” Verheijen said.
Additionally, NERC’s meeting covered various critical topics related to the Nigerian electricity market, including tariff methodology, NESI liquidity, financial market evaluations, and the transition to a multi-tier electricity market involving state electricity regulatory commissions.
“The quarterly meeting brings together energy stakeholders to discuss the state of the NESI and address critical issues in the sector,” NERC added.
