FG to train 5,000 meter installers as Nigeria intensifies drive to close metering gap

By Our Correspondent

Nigeria’s efforts to bridge its electricity metering gap received a major boost on Thursday as the Federal Government launched Power Force, a nationwide training programme designed to produce 5,000 certified meter installers to support the deployment of seven million smart electricity meters across the country.

The initiative, implemented under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, is aimed at accelerating the installation of smart meters, reducing estimated billing and ensuring that electricity consumers pay only for the power they actually use.

The programme was formally flagged off at the headquarters of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Abuja, where the first batch of trainees commenced a three-week intensive programme combining classroom instruction with practical field training.

Organisers disclosed that nearly 220,000 young Nigerians applied for the scheme, underscoring the overwhelming interest in the initiative.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, described Power Force as a critical component of the Federal Government’s ongoing electricity sector reforms, stressing that a successful nationwide metering programme requires a skilled workforce.

“Behind every successful metering programme must stand thousands of competent, certified and dedicated technicians,” Tegbe said.

He added that the government’s reforms extend beyond improving electricity supply to creating jobs, building technical capacity and expanding economic opportunities for Nigerian youths.

The minister also commended the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) for withdrawing its court case challenging the meter deployment programme, describing the decision as one that had removed “a significant obstacle” to the rapid rollout of electricity meters nationwide.

Representing Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who chairs both the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the PMI Board, Edmund Obiora Nnaji said the initiative goes beyond addressing the financial challenges facing the electricity sector.

According to him, the programme is equally focused on equipping young Nigerians with valuable technical skills that can improve their livelihoods and contribute to national development.

He urged state governors to support the initiative and consider expanding the number of beneficiaries beyond the initial target of 5,000 trainees.

Minister of Youth Development, Ayo Olawande, said the programme aligns with his ministry’s “One Youth, Two Skills” initiative, describing it as a platform for job creation and youth empowerment.

According to him, the collaboration among government institutions demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to translating policy into tangible opportunities for ordinary Nigerians.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Presidential Metering Initiative and Special Adviser to the President on Oil and Gas, Olu Arowolo Verheijen, described the PMI as the largest metering programme in Nigeria’s history.

She said the initiative was designed to tackle one of the biggest challenges confronting the nation’s electricity industry while empowering young Nigerians with employable skills.

“One young installer cannot transform Nigeria. But five thousand can inspire fifty thousand. And fifty thousand can inspire millions more. That is how movements begin—one opportunity, one person, one act of service at a time,” she said.

The event was attended by the Project Director of the PMI, Obafemi Solebo; Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Ayo Gbeleyi; Managing Director of NAPTIN, Ahmed Bolaji Nagode; and Managing Director of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Adesayo Olusegun Michael, among other stakeholders.

The government said the training programme will subsequently be expanded to centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, enabling wider participation by young Nigerians.

Upon completion of the programme, participants will receive professional certification from NEMSA as qualified meter installers in line with national and international competence and safety standards.

Officials expressed confidence that the initiative would not only accelerate the rollout of smart meters across the country but also create thousands of jobs while strengthening the technical workforce needed to sustain reforms in Nigeria’s electricity sector.