The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has instructed all electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to publicly disclose details of refunds made to customers who paid upfront for meters under the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) scheme. This directive was shared by the NERC on its social media platforms on Monday.
The announcement followed NERC’s first Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Stakeholders meeting of 2025, held earlier in the day. The MAP framework enables third-party investors to provide and maintain meters, with customers paying metering service charges. Under NERC regulations, when customers pay upfront for meters, the cost is to be refunded through energy credits from the DisCos, with the reimbursement schedule approved by the commission based on the financial standing of the distribution licensees.
However, consumer groups have raised concerns over inconsistent refunds by the DisCos under the MAP scheme. In response, NERC has emphasized transparency by directing DisCos to publish refund details on their websites. This move is aimed at ensuring transparency, building trust, and encouraging more customers to participate in the metering initiative.
Currently, Nigeria has over seven million unmetered customers, and the government is working to close this metering gap. Recently, Olu Verheijen, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, reiterated the government’s commitment to metering all customers to minimize losses in the sector. This effort includes the Presidential Metering Initiative, which consolidates various metering programs funded by different entities, aiming to improve revenue collection, financial sustainability, and investment in the electricity sector.
The NERC’s NESI Stakeholders meeting also focused on key industry issues, including tariff methodology, NESI liquidity, financial market evaluations, and the transition to a multi-tier electricity market. The commission emphasized that these quarterly meetings serve as an important platform for discussing critical sector challenges and driving improvements within Nigeria’s electricity supply industry.
