Nigeria has launched the training of the first batch of 5,000 smart meter installers under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), marking a major milestone in the Federal Government’s drive to deploy seven million smart electricity meters nationwide and close the country’s metering gap.
The training programme, known as Power Force, was officially flagged off on Thursday at the headquarters of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Abuja. The first cohort of successful applicants will undergo a three-week intensive programme combining classroom instruction with practical field training before deployment across the country.
The initiative generated significant interest from young Nigerians, attracting nearly 220,000 applications during the recruitment process.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said the programme was designed to build the skilled workforce needed to support Nigeria’s ambitious electricity metering programme.
“Behind every successful metering programme must stand thousands of competent, certified and dedicated technicians,” Tegbe said. “The 5,000 young Nigerians being trained under this initiative will become the backbone of Nigeria’s smart metering workforce.”
According to the minister, the initiative goes beyond installing meters.
“This Power Force initiative demonstrates that our electricity reforms are not merely about equipment and technology; they are equally about creating opportunities, building human capital and securing livelihoods,” he said.
Tegbe also praised the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) for withdrawing its legal challenge against the meter deployment programme.
“I also wish to commend the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria for withdrawing the court action it had instituted against the meter deployment programme. That singular decision has removed a significant obstacle to the accelerated deployment of electricity meters across the country,” he said.
The Power Force programme is being implemented under the Presidential Metering Initiative launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 to improve electricity billing transparency and ensure consumers are accurately billed for energy consumed.
Representing Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Mr. Edmund Obiora Nnaji delivered the governor’s remarks, describing the initiative as one that combines power sector reform with youth empowerment.
“PMI is not just about fixing the finances of the power sector through metering. It is also about impacting the lives of young Nigerians through training and skills development,” the governor said.
He urged state governments to support the programme, calling on fellow governors to explore “supporting this Power Force initiative with a view to expanding the pool beyond the initial five thousand trainees being targeted.”
Minister of Youth Development Ayo Olawande said the programme aligns with the Federal Government’s efforts to equip young Nigerians with employable skills under the “One Youth, Two Skills” initiative.
“This is not just the launch of a training programme; it is about creating jobs and opportunities for Nigerian youths to contribute to national development,” Olawande said.
He added that the initiative reflects improved collaboration among government institutions.
“President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated that Nigeria’s federal ministries, departments and agencies can have the force of collaboration in making sure the dividends of democracy get to everybody in the country,” he said.
Executive Secretary of the Presidential Metering Initiative and Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Arowolo Verheijen, described the initiative as the largest metering programme in Nigeria’s history, saying it is aimed at addressing one of the biggest obstacles to a more efficient electricity sector.
“The Presidential Metering Initiative was established under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to solve one of the biggest barriers to a reliable electricity sector: ensuring that every Nigerian pays only for the electricity they actually use,” she said.
She said the programme was also designed to inspire a new generation of skilled professionals in the power sector.
“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,” Verheijen said.
Following the Abuja launch, the Power Force training programme will be expanded to centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. At the end of the training, participants will receive certification from the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), qualifying them as professional meter installers in line with national and international competence and safety standards.
The event was attended by senior government officials, including representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), NAPTIN, NEMSA and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s electricity sector, underscoring broad institutional support for the programme.