FG to train 5,000 Nigerians, NYSC members as electricity meter installers

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to train 5,000 young Nigerians, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as electricity meter installers and technicians as part of efforts to bridge the country’s metering gap and create jobs in the power sector.

President Bola Tinubu disclosed the initiative on Thursday, July 2, in a statement posted on his official X account, describing the programme as part of the administration’s drive to expand employment opportunities while improving electricity service delivery.

The announcement comes barely two weeks after the Federal Government unveiled plans to deploy seven million electricity meters nationwide in a renewed push to eliminate estimated billing and improve transparency in electricity billing.

What they are saying

According to the President, the training programme will be implemented through the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), a government programme established to close Nigeria’s metering gap, eliminate estimated billing, protect electricity consumers and strengthen the country’s power market.

• Under the initiative, 5,000 young Nigerians will be trained as meter installers and technicians through The Power Force, equipping them with the skills required to support the nationwide rollout of electricity meters.
• Tinubu said the programme is designed to provide participants with practical technical skills while connecting them to employment opportunities in a sector that directly affects households, businesses and communities across the country.

The President added that the programme would be open to Nigerians who have completed their secondary school education, with a portion of the available slots reserved for members of the National Youth Service Corps.

• “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,” he said.

He noted that wider access to electricity meters would ensure consumers are billed only for the energy they consume, while improving revenue collection by electricity distribution companies and enabling greater investment in infrastructure and service delivery.

Get up to speed

Although the Federal Government recently announced plans to deploy seven million electricity meters across the country, this is not the first time the government has made such projections.

• In June 2025, the Federal Government said it would deploy seven million smart meters nationwide, with the twin objectives of eliminating estimated billing and reducing revenue leakages across Nigeria’s electricity distribution network.
• However, implementation of the programme has faced significant challenges. On June 27, 2026, Nairametrics reported that a legal dispute involving local electricity meter manufacturers had become the biggest threat to Nigeria’s $500 million World Bank-backed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP).

According to the report, the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) secured a court injunction on April 30, 2026, preventing the opening of bids for the international procurement of 1.55 million smart meters, raising concerns over further delays and the possible cancellation of that procurement exercise.

What you should know

The Federal Government’s renewed push comes as Nigeria continues to make gradual progress in expanding electricity metering nationwide.

• Data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) showed that the country ended 2025 with 6,966,584 metered electricity customers, pushing the national metering rate to 57.27%.
• The figures also revealed an acceleration in meter deployment towards the end of the year, with more than 109,000 customers receiving meters in December alone.
• Despite the progress, about 5.19 million active electricity customers remained on estimated billing at the end of 2025, underscoring the scale of Nigeria’s metering deficit.

Against this backdrop, the Federal Government’s decision to train 5,000 meter installers and technicians is expected to strengthen the human capacity required to accelerate meter deployment while creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians and supporting efforts to eliminate estimated billing across the country.